m: 


THE  GIFT  OF 

MAY  TREAT  MORRISON 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

ALEXANDER  F  MORRISON 


M. 


JOAN  OF  ARC. 


HISTORY  POR  BOYS ; 


OR, 


ANNALS  OF  THE  NATIONS  OF 
MODERN  EUROPE. 


JOHN  G.  EDGAR, 

AUTHOR    OF    "the    BOYHOOD    OF    GREAT    MEN"   AND    "THE    FOOT- 


PEINTS   OF   FAMOUS   MEN.' 


NEW  YORK: 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 


?^ 


i 


0>I05 


PREFACE. 


The  expediency  of  directing  the  attention  of  boys 
to  historical  knowledge  will  hardly  be  questioned  by 
any  one  capable  of  forming  an  opinion  on  such  a 
subject;  and  the  object  of  the  following  pages  is  to 
exhibit,  in  a  manner  attractive  to  juvenile  readers, 
the   most  interesting    and    important   events   in   the 

^  history  of  modern  Europe.  While  the  most  striking 
v\      and  illustrative  incidents  in  the  annals  of  each  coun- 

^      try  have  been  carefully  selected  for  narration,  every 

^.  circumstance  essential  to  be  known  in  regard  to  the 
rise  and  progress  of  the  different  European  States  has 

^  been  mentioned,  if  not  fully  related  ;  and  as  narrating 
"^     events  which   must  necessarily  excite   interest  from 

^  their  magnitude  and  importance,  from  the  light  which 
they  throw  on  the  period  when  they  occurred,  and 
.from  the  eliccts  which  they  have  produced  on  suc- 

^Vvi    ceeding  ages,  this  volume  will  be  found  to  contain  a 

^^.^^brief,  but  iLsefid  compendium  of  modern  history. 

'^  The  advantage  of  such  a  work  will  not  be  lightly 

estimated  by  those  who  are  impressed  with  the  im- 


Vi 


viii  PREFACE. 

portance  of  history  as  a  branch  of  education,  and 
with  the  still  greater  importance,  for  future  enjoyment 
and  improvement,  of  an  early  taste  for  historical  in- 
formation. The  great  truths,  it  is  true,  which  are 
proclaimed  by  the  annals  of  nations — the  views  which 
they  unfold  of  the  systems  of  government  under  which 
we  live,  the  guidance  which  they  afford  in  politics  and 
legislation,  the  peculiarities  of  human  nature  which 
they  disclose,  and  the  lessons  which  they  enforce  by 
examples — the  last  and  most  precious  fruits  of  this 
important  study — are  scarcely  the  natural  and  proper 
objects  of  the  juvenile  understanding.  But  to  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  stirring  events,  to  form  vivid  concep- 
tions of  character  and  incidents,  to  sympathize  with 
the  illustrious  actors  on  the  stage  of  the  world,  and  to 
see  with  the  mind's  eye  the  transactions  which  history 
has  to  record,  constitute  the  appropriate  exercise  of 
youth,  and  the  best  preparation  for  a  more  profound 
and  comprehensive  knowledge. 

Nor,  independently  of  higher  considerations,  is  this 
exercise  of  small  benefit,  as  the  means  of  preparing 
an  unfailing  source  of  intellectual  gratification ;  for, 
wherever  we  turn  our  eyes,  historical  events  are 
stamped  on  almost  every  object  that  meets  our  view. 
The  galleries  of  art,  the  volumes  of  poetry  and  elo- 
quence, the  books  of  the  law,  parliamentary  debates, 


PREFACE.  « 

domestic  and  foreign  occurrences,  mountains  and  val- 
leys, colleges  and  cathedrals,  the  schools  of  learning, 
the  marts  of  commerce,  the  shores  of  ocean,  the  very- 
stones  of  cities,  are  replete  with  historical  associations, 
and  calculated  to  recall  the  events  of  by-gone  ages. 
A  famiharity  with  history,  therefore,  is  essential  to 
every  one  who  would  understand  the  world  in  which 
he  moves,  and  derive  intellectual  gratification  from 
the  places  he  frequents  ;  and  to  store  up  such  knowl- 
edge in  the  mind — not  bare  facts,  but  definite  and 
adequate  ideas  of  mighty  events,  and  clear  conceptions 
of  heroic  personages — is  to  accumulate  a  treasure, 
which  will  be  often  called  for,  and  always  found 
invaluable.  Every  thing  which  tends  to  this  great 
end,  a  wise  and  judicious  guide  of  youth  will  apply 
with  care  and  vigilance. 

To  assist  in  rendering  historical  knowledge  interest- 
ing, M-ithout  the  smallest  sacrifice  of  accuracy,  is  the 
aim  of  this  book.  The  history  of  each  of  the  States 
of  Europe  is  briefly  sketched,  commencing  Avith  that 
of  France,  which  is  regarded  by  philosophers  as  the 
great  centre  of  European  affairs.  She  has  not,  it  is 
true,  on  all  occasions,  marched  at  the  head  of  the 
nations  of  Europe.  Italy  took  the  lead  of  her  in  the 
arts  ;  Germany  was  foremost  in  repressing  the  Papal 
power,  and  paving  the  way  for  the  Reformation  in 


X  PREP^ACE 

religion ;  while  in  wealth,  commerce,  Jiational  indus- 
try, and,  above  all,  in  self-government,  England  has 
left  every  rival  and  competitor  immeasurably  behind. 
Yet  the  whole  of  modern  history'  may,  with  propriety, 
be  grouped  around  that  of  France  ;  for  even  where  the 
influence  of  that  great  country  has  not  been  conspicu- 
ously displayed,  it  has  never  ceased  to  affect  ideas, 
find  to  determine  the  character  of  that  civilization, 
which  is  now  in  full  and  auspicious  progress. 

Limited  as  is  the  compass  within  which  so  many 
events  are  brought,  I  am  not  without  hope  that  this 
"History  for  Boys"  will  not  be  altogether  ineffectual 
in  encouraging  the  youthful  reader  to  pursue,  on  a 
more  extended  scale,  the  study  of  that  great  branch 
of  human  science,  which  one  of  its  ancient  cultivators 
aptly  described  as  "  philosophy  teaching  by  examples." 

J.  (;.  E. 


CONTENTS. 


FA.QV 

FRANCE  , 13 

ENGLAND   133 

SPAIN 280 

PORTUGAL 314 

GERMANY  AND  AUSTRIA   323 

ITA  ^Y 353 

SWITZERLAND 365 

IJt)LLAND  AND  BELGIUM    375 

PRUSSIA 385 

DENMARK 397 

SWEDEN    408 

TURKEY  AND  GREECE 423 

RUSSIA   432 


HISTORY   FOR   BOYS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HISTORY    OF    FRANCE. 

In  tlic  fifth  century,  when  the  Roman  Empire  was 
rapidly  decUuing,  when  the  Roman  legions  had  been 
withdrawn  from  Britain,  and  replaced  by  the  Saxon 
followers  of  Hengist,  and  when  the  Gaulish  provinces, 
though  nominally  under  the  power  and  protection  of 
the  Imperial  eagles,  only  felt  the  weight  of  their 
shadow — foremost  among  the  Salian  Franks,  a  fierce 
and  vigorous  Germanic  tribe  that  had  forcibly  occu- 
pied the  territory  extending  from  the  Rhine  to  the 
Somme,  was  a  stripling  known  and  trusted  among  his 
barbaric  comrades  as  Clovis,  the  grandson  of  Merowig. 

This  military  chief,  though  renowned  as  the  founder 
of  a  great  monarchy,  appears  to  have  been  in  reality 
an  unmitigated  savage  ;  but  his  courage  was  indomi- 
table ;  his  skill  was  sufficient  for  a  rude  species  of 
warfare  ;  and  in  the  eyes  of  associates  a  degree  more 
ignorant  and  superstitious  than  himself,  his  long,  rich, 


14  HISTORY    FOR  BOYS —FRANCE. 

unpolled  hair,  indicated  a  mysterious  descent  from  the 
Scandinaviap  deities.  And  thus  it  happened,  that 
being  in  ■want  of  a  king,  the  t-kin-clad  Franks  form- 
ally el?»-aced  i,he  uiidri,aated  Clovis  on  a  buckler,  and 
signified,  by  loud  acclamaliona,  that  he  was  the  man 
chosen  to  lead  them  to  carnage,  conquest,  and  plunder. 

The  prelates  then  residing  in  Gaul  aspired,  as  faith- 
ful sons  of  Rome,  to  substitute  ecclesiastical  ties  for 
the  Imperial  chain  that  had  hitherto  bound  nations  to 
the  Eternal  City  ;  and  were,  therefore,  quite  the  re- 
verse of  inattentive  to  this  worshiper  of  Odin.  AMiile 
paying  visits  to  the  Frankish  camp,  they  treated  him 
with  flattering  politeness  ;  and  though  Clovis  was  at 
first  so  provokingly  insensible  to  their  compliments  as 
to  continue  the  pillage  of  churches,  Fortune  ere  long 
conducted  him  into  their  subtle  toils.  While  pursuing 
his  conquests,  the  untamed  son  of  Merowig  was  in- 
spired with  emotions  of  tenderness  by  the  charms  of 
Clotilda,  daughter  of  a  Burgundian  king,  and  was 
thus  induced  to  marry  the  only  woman  of  German 
extraction  who  had  embraced  the  Catholic  faith. 

No  event  could  have  harmonized  more  completely 
with  the  aims  and  objects  of  the  holy  fathers.  The 
love  and  blandishments  of  the  captivating  princess  not 
only  exercised  a  softenmg  influence  on  the  heart  of 
her  untutored  husband,  but  dissipated  the  heathen 
prejudices  in  which  he  had  been  nurtured  ;  and  thus 
it  came  to  pass,  that  in  a  conflict  with  some  Germans 
who  rashly  aspired  to  imitate  the  example  of  the 


JffONARCHY   FOUNDED   BY   CLOVIS.  15 

Franks,  and  appropriate  the  lands  of  the  defenseless 
Gauls,  Clovis,  thinking  his  soldiers  were  on  the  point 
of  giving  way,  invoked  the  aid  of  Clotilda's  God,  with 
an  oath  to  adopt  the  religion  of  his  spouse  if  he  came 
off  the  field  a  conqueror.  He  was  victorious,  and 
proved  faithful  to  his  vow. 

The  Cathedral  of  Rheims  was  the  scene  of  the 
Prankish  warrior's  admission  into  the  Christian  fold. 
Roman  art  was  ungrudgingly  used  to  lend  effect  to  so 
signal  a  triumph  over  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  to 
render  the  occasion  forever  memorable.  The  edifice 
was  decorated  with  the  images  and  relics  of  saints ; 
garlands  and  tapestiy  adorned  the  vestibule,  vails  of 
divers  colors  modified  the  glare  of  the  sun,  and,  in 
costly  vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  quantities  of  the  most 
exquisite  perfume  burned  with  grateful  fragrance. 
Every  thing  was  calculated  to  touch  the  imaginations 
of  the  pagan  warriors,  and  Clovis  was  impressed  with 
awe  and  wonder  at  so  much  pomp  and  splendor. 
"  Father,"  asked  the  bewildered  neophyte,  as  the 
Bishop  of  Rheims,  in  imposing  pontificals,  led  him  by 
the  hand  to  the  baptistery,  "  is  not  this  itself  that  king- 
dom of  heaven  to  which  you  have  promised  to  con- 
duct me?"  The  example  of  a  leader  so  tried  and  tri- 
umphant as  Clovis  proved  contagious,  and  several  thou- 
sands of  the  sacrilegious  Franks  were  forthwith  added 
to  the  Romish  communion.  Messengers  straightway 
conveyed  to  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  intelhgence  of 
this  important  ceremony,  as  well  as  rich  presents  by 


16  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

way  of  tribute  from  the  newly-converted  king  ;  and 
in  return  the  Pope  sent  Clovis  letters  of  congratula- 
tion, besides  conferring  on  him  the  title  of  "  Eldest 
Son  of  the  Church." 

From  this  date  the  progress  of  the  Franks  was 
comparatively  easy.  Towns  and.  cities  opened  their 
gates ;  the  Roman  garrisons,  with  their  arms  and 
standards,  passed  over  to  the  service  of  Clovis ;  and 
at  length,  flushed  with  enthusiasm,  he  resolved  to 
enter  Burgundy  with  fire  and  sword.  Terrible  was 
the  consequence.  The  inhabitants  were  mercilessly 
slaughtered,  the  vines  and  fruit-trees  wildly  torn  up, 
and  the  convents  unscrupulously  pillaged.  At  length 
the  Burgundian  king,  having  submitted  and  sworn  to 
be  a  tributary,  Clovis  retraced  his  steps  to  the  north 
of  the  Loire,  with  an  enormous  booty.  Time  passed 
on,  and  the  beautiful  provinces  occupied  by  the  Visi- 
goths tempted  the  Frankish  monarch's  cupidity.  He 
assembled  his  followers  in  a  field,  and  addressed  them 
in  a  circle  :  "I  like  not,"  he  said,  "  that  these  Goths, 
who  are  Arians,  should  possess  the  best  part  of  Gaul. 
Let  us  go  against  them."  The  Franks  were,  of  course, 
delighted  at  the  prospect  of  fresh  plunder,  and  experi- 
enced no  slight  joy  in  being  led  southward.  Their 
campaign  was  short,  but  decisive ;  for  in  an  engage- 
ment at  Vouglc,  their  arms  once  more  proved  irresist- 
ible :  Alaric,  the  Gothic  king,  fell  fighting ;  and  the 
countiy,  as  far  as  the  Garonne,  yielded  to  the  victor. 

The    monarchy  thus   gained,   with    Paris    for   its 


MAYORS   OF  THE   PALACE.  17 

capital,  was,  on  the  decease  of  Clovis,  inherited  by  his 
four  sons ;  who,  after  a  series  of  criminal,  civil  wars, 
left  successors  so  degenerate,  that  their  noblest  ambi- 
tion was  to  be  dragged  in  an  easy  wagon  by  M'ell- 
trained  oxen,  their  highest  gratification  to  sit  at  a 
board  covered  with  savory  viands.  Thus  the  su- 
preme power  passed  to  Pepin  of  Heristal,  and  his  son, 
Charles  Martel,  who,  as  Mayors  of  the  Palace,  gov- 
erned France  and  repulsed  the  Saracens  with  ability 
and  courage  for  a  considerable  period.  The  progeny 
of  the  bold  and  conquering  Clovis  retained  nothing 
but  the  name  of  King  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighth  century,  Pepin  Ic  Bref,  son  of  Charles  Martel, 
tired  of  ruhng  without  a  sceptre,  dismissed  Childeric, 
the  last  of  the  Merovingians,  to  a  monastery,  and 
openly  aspired  to  royal  rank. 

In  that  age  of  rapacity,  insecurity,  and  invasion, 
when  old  empires  were  passing  away  and  all  things 
becoming  new,  physical  prowess  and  the  defiance  of 
danger  were,  with  reason,  valued  at  a  high  rate  ;  and 
Pepin,  though  short  in  stature,  was  endowed  with 
thews  and  sinews,  as  Mell  as  surpassing  valor.  On 
one  occasion,  being  present  at  an  encounter  between 
a  lion  and  a  wild  bull,  which  seemed  on  the  point  of 
terminating  in  the  fall  of  the  ignobler  beast,  he  sud- 
denly turned  to  the  assembled  nobles,  and  pointing  to 
the  combatants  exclaimed,  "  Which  of  you  dares  to 
separate  them  ?"  There  was  no  reply  ;  but  Pepin, 
drawing  his  sword,  fearlessly  leaped  into  the  arena, 
B 


18  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

and  killed  both  animals.  Then  flinging  down  the 
bloody  weapon,  he  faced  the  marvehng  spectators,  and 
asked,  with  a  smile  of  triumph,  "  Well,  am  I  not 
worthy  to  be  your  king  ?" 

Arguments  different,  doubtless,  but  not  less  con- 
vincing, were  addressed  to  the  Pope,  whose  alliance 
was  indispensable.  His  right  to  dispose  of  temporal 
crowns  was  fully  recognized  ;  and  in  requital  he  gave 
a  solemn  sanction  to  the  Mayor  of  the  Palace  being 
elected  King  of  the  Franks.  At  the  coronation,  cere- 
monies observed  in  the  case  of  the  Jewish  kings  were 
revived.  Pepin  was  consecrated  by  St.  Boniface,  the 
apostle  of  Germany,  and  began  to  reign  in  752.  In 
recompense  for  the  Pope's  timely  support,  he  turned 
his  arms  against  the  Lombards ;  and  being  conscious 
of  his  defective  title,  he  strove  by  all  legitimate  means 
to  enhst  the  affection  and  sympathy  of  his  subjects. 
After  occupying  the  throne  with  the  sagacity  and  reso- 
lution which  characterized  four  generations  of  that 
great  Austrasian  family,  Pepin  departed  this  life,  hav- 
ing, with  the  consent  of  his  nobles,  divided  the  kingdom 
between  his  sons,  and  fimily  established  what  was  after- 
ward known  through  good  and  evil  report  as  the  Carlo- 
vingian  dynasty.  The  younger  of  Pepin's  successor 
died  soon  after  their  wise  and  provident  sire ;  the  other 
being  thereupon  acknowledged  as  sovereign  by  the  whole 
nation,  long  survived  to  add  a  worthy  mark  of  uni- 
versal respect  to  his  name  of  Charles,  and  to  render  that 
of  Charlemagne  illustrious  in  the  annals  of  the  world. 


EMPIRE   OF  CHARLEMAGNE.  19 

Chaiiemague  was,  both  iu  a  personal  and  intel- 
lectual point  of  view,  admirably  fitted  to  be  a  popu- 
lar prince  and  a  ruler  of  millions.  His  stature  was 
tall,  his  countenance  open,  his  eye  large  with  thought 
and  beaming  with  intelligence,  and  his  head  shaped 
like  a  dome.  Within  was  a  spirit  active,  ambitious, 
and  energetic  ;  an  eager  appetite  for  knowledge,  a 
soul  that  scorned  danger,  and  a  keen  sense  of  enjoy- 
ment. Tn  an  age  of  darkness  he  had  so  high  an 
appreciation  of  the  blessings  of  education,  and  so  much 
care  for  the  future,  that  he  not  only  supported  a  mul- 
titude of  schools,  but  maintained  a  seminary  in  his 
palace  for  the  sons  of  magnates,  to  whom  he  is  re- 
ported to  have  spoken  words  of  wisdom  and  enlighten- 
ment. 

The  military  enterprises  of  Charlemagne  were 
equally  extensive  and  victorious.  He  first  buckled 
on  his  armor  at  the  request  of  the  Pope,  dethroned  the 
King  of  the  Lombards,  and  terminated  their  long 
dominion  in  Italy.  Tlien,  believing  himself  ordained 
to  subdue  the  barbarians  of  Europe  to  Christianity, 
lie  resolved  to  prove  the  orthodoxy  of  his  doctrines  by 
an  appeal  to  the  sword.  The  Saxons  of  Germany, 
forming  a  number  of  small  republics,  were  the  first 
whom  he  sought  to  convert.  Charlemagne  defeated 
their  heroic  captain,  Witikind,  in  a  tough  battle, 
compelled  them  to  receive  baptism,  and  appointed 
abbots  and  bishops  to  their  various  principalities.  He 
next  marched  against  the  Saracens,  and  was  success- 


20  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

ful  in  subduing  a  portion  of  their  territory  ;  but  in  re- 
turning through  the  mountams  he  was  worsted  at 
Roncesvalles,  where  perished  Roland  and  Ohver,  the 
most  famous  of  his  twelve  paladins.  He  redeemed 
this  disaster  by  new  and  victorious  exploits  ;  and  in 
795  had  the  merit  of  reinstating  Leo  III.  on  the  papal 
throne,  from  which  he  had  been  rudely  dragged. 
The  Pope  proved  by  no  means  uugi'ateful  for  so  emi- 
nent a  service.  On  the  Christmas  of  800,  while 
Charlemagne  was  kneeling  at  prayer  within  the 
basilica  of  St.  Peter,  Leo  approached,  and  placed  the 
imperial  crown  on  his  brow.  He  Avas  immediately 
saluted  with  the  title  of  Augustus,  and  from  that  day 
considered  himself  a  true  successor  of  the  Roman 
Emperors  of  the  AVest.  For  the  purpose  of  watching 
and  restraining  the  Saxons,  who  were  not  fully  sub- 
dued till  804,  he  made  Aix-la-Chapelle  the  capital  of 
his  empire,  and  enriched  his  palace  with  the  marbles 
of  Ravenna  and  the  spoils  of  the  other  Italian  cities. 
After  a  brilliant  and  distinguished  career,  Charle- 
magne expired  in  his  seventy-second  year,  and  went 
down  to  his  tomb  in  imperial  robes,  leaving  the  crown, 
won  with  valor  and  defended  with  genius,  to  his  sole 
surviving  son,  Louis  le  T>choyinaire. 

The  first  measure  to  which  the  new  Emperor — a 
weak,  but  beneficent  man — asked  the  assent  of  the 
Cliamp  cle  Mars — the  Frankish  comitia — was  one  to 
associate  his  heir,  Lothaire,  with  him  on  the  throne ; 
while  to  the  other  sons,  Pepin  and  Louis,  he  granted 


SUCCESSORS   OF   CHARLEMAGNE.  21 

Aquitaine  and  Bavaria.  The  three  princes  thus 
handsomely  provided  for  were  perpetually  at  feud,  till 
they  discovered  a  bond  of  union  in  the  unnatural  reso- 
lution to  make  war  against  their  too-indulgent  father. 
Alleging  that  he  intended  to  create  out  of  their  king- 
doms a  patrimony  for  their  youngest  brother,  Charles 
the  Bald,  they  cast  the  Emperor  into  prison,  and 
compelled  him  publicly  to  perform  a  humiliating 
penance  in  the  cathedral  of  Soissons.  The  exemplary 
Louis  regained  his  liberty,  but  the  memory  of  the 
shame  and  abuse  he  had  undergone  brought  him 
down  with  sorrow  to  the  grave,  and  his  parricidal 
son,  Lothaire,  assumed  the  imperial  diadem. 

A  new  civil  war  broke  out  among  the  brothers,  and 
a  sanguinary  battle  was  fought  in  the  vicinity  of  Au- 
xerre,  when  no  fewer  than  a  hundred  thousand  men  are 
said  to  have  fallen.  At  last,  after  a  long  period  of 
fearful  anarchy  and  confusion,  Charles  the  Bald  ob- 
tained the  imperial  crown,  shorn  as  it  was  of  dignity  ; 
and  he  diminished  its  influence  still  farther  by  ren- 
dering titles  and  tenures  hereditary. 

It  was  during  this  reign,  while  the  impetuous  Sara- 
cens were  desolating  the  southern  frontiers,  that  the 
fierce  pirates  of  the  North  commenced  their  depreda- 
tions on  the  coast  of  France.  They  had  appeared  as 
early  as  the  time  of  Charlemagne,  and  excited  that 
vigilant,  far-seeing  monarch's  apprehensions  for  the 
future  ;  but  the  ships  of  war  which,  for  the  protection 
of  trade,  were  stationed  at  the  mouths  of  rivers,  and 


22  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS— FRANCE. 

the  terror  of  his  arms,  had  effectually  checked  their  in- 
roads. These  Danes,  as  they  were  called,  if  from  the 
islands  of  the  Baltic,  or  Normans,  if  from  the  coast  of 
Norway,  were  not,  indeed,  men  to  be  frightened  with 
the  shadow  of  a  name  or  by  royal  ciphers.  They 
were  the  most  reckless  and  barbarous  of  mortals, 
prided  themselves  on  having  never  slept  under  the 
smoke-dried  roof,  nor  emptied  the  brimming  can  by 
the  chimney-corner.  They  guided  their  frail  barks,  on 
whose  prows  were  gilt  figures  of  lions,  bulls,  dragons, 
or  dolphins,  with  as  much  ease  as  a  dexterous  horse- 
man reins  his  steed,  regarded  the  ocean  as  their  home, 
and  called  the  tempest  their  servant.  They  espe- 
cially delighted  in  shedding  the  blood  of  Christian 
priests,  in  desecrating  churches,  and  in  converting 
royal  chapels  into  stables.  They  tossed,  without  a 
thought  of  mercy,  unweaned  infants  on  the  points 
of  their  ensanguined  spears,  amidst  hoarse  laughter ; 
mocked  the  idea  of  tears  or  mourning ;  and  rejoiced 
beyond  measure  in  the  din  of  battle  and  the  clash 
of  steel.  At  the  approach  of  death  they  knew  no 
fear  ;  for,  in  imagination,  they  saw  goddesses  beckon- 
ing them  to  the  halls  of  Odin,  and  regaled  their  fan- 
cies with  the  anticipation  of  feasting  in  a  circle  in  their 
Valhalla,  or  paradise  of  heroes,  waited  on  by  the  love- 
liest of  damsels,  and  quaffing  flowing  draughts  of  beer 
out  of  huge  horn  cups. 

In  quest  of,  or  with  a  view  to  plunder,  for  which 
their    appetite   was    insatiable,    these    Scandinavian 


EXPLOITS   OF  THE    SEA-KINGS.  23 

pirates  braved  countless  perils,  and  made  blood  flow 
like  water.  Uegner  Lodbrog,  one  of  their  most  cele- 
brated and  incorrigible  sea-kings,  after  committing 
depredations  in  almost  every  part  of  E  urope,  sailed  up 
the  Seine  to  Paris,  ravaging  and  slaughtering  all  the 
way.  He  was,  after  thirty  years  of  piracy,  stung  to 
death  by  venomous  snakes  in  the  dungeoir  of  a  Nor- 
thumbrian prince,  chanting  in  the  hour  of  agony  a 
song  full  of  savage  spirit  and  wild  hope.  Hasting, 
another  sea-king,  hardly  less  famous,  though  the  son 
of  a  peaceful  peasant  near  Troyes,  was  for  a  time  the 
terror  of  the  English  coast.  He  was  forced  to  retire 
before  the  white-horse  standard,  under  which  Allied 
the  Great  ranged  his  light-haired  Saxons ;  but  the 
fearless  pirate  indefatigably  crossed  the  Channel,  and 
long  after,  while  standing  on  the  prow  of  his  ship, 
struck  consternation  into  the  hearts  of  Prankish  lords 
and  Gaulish  slaves.  The  dread  blast  of  the  ivory 
horn,  which  hung  from  his  neck  to  summon  his  cor- 
sair fleet,  awed  them  more  than  the  sound  of  thmider. 
But  none  of  these  rovers  rendered  himself  more  formi- 
dable than  Eric,  king  of  Demnark.  Penetrating  to 
Paris  with  three  hundred  barks,  he  plundered  the  city, 
devastated  the  adjacent  villages,  drove  the  inhabitants 
like  herds  of  cattle  to  the  forests,  and  executed  his 
work  so  thoroughly,  that  where  he  had  passed  hardly 
even  a  cur  remained  to  howl  at  the  solitude.  A  sub- 
sequent attempt  on  Paris,  however,  was  so  gallantly 
and  resolutely  resisted  by  Count  Eudes,  that  an  as- 


24  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

sembly  of  the  States,  in  defiance  of  hereditary  rights, 
rewarded  the  gallant  warrior's  services  on  the  occasion 
by  voting  him  the  crown,  which  on  his  death,  ten 
years  later,  reverted  to  that  Charles  whom  history 
calls  the  Simple,  hut  whom  his  rude  contemporaries 
characterized  as  the  Fool. 

At  this  period  Harold,  distinguished  by  a  profusion 
of  beautiful  hair,  succeeded  in  forming  the  petty  states 
of  Norway  into  a  kingdom,  and,  for  the  security  of  his 
realm  against  the  chiefs  whom  he  had  dispossessed, 
enacted  stern  laws  against  piracy.  Among  the  noble 
Scandinavians  still  frequenting  his  court,  none  was 
more  faithful  or  beloved  than  an  Earl  named  Rognvald. 
All  this  man's  sons  were  noted  for  valor,  and  the 
tallest,  bravest,  and  most  remarkable  of  the  family, 
was  Roll  the  Walker,  so  called  because  no  horse  in  his 
country  was  high  enough  to  carry  him.  It  happened 
that  this  young  Norwegian,  during  a  cruise,  had  man- 
ifested so  utter  a  disregard  for  the  rights  of  property, 
that  King  Harold,  in  anger,  doomed  him  to  a  hfe-long 
exile.  The  sentence  seemed  harsh  to  his  relatives, 
doubtless,  but  Roll  was  not  a  man  to  waste  time  in 
regretting  what  could  not  be  remedied,  or  to  die  on  a 
foreign  strand  of  that  hope  deferred  which  maketh  the 
heart  sick.  On  the  contraiy,  he  prepared  for  a  hfe  of 
adventure  ;  fitted  out  some  vessels,  and  steered  for 
the  Hebrides,  where  many  of  the  expatriated  Norwe- 
gians had  found  an  asylum.  They  readily  agreed  to 
take  part  in  his  adventures,  and  soon  with  sails  and 


NORMAN  INVASION.  25 

oars  were  iinpelliug  their  little  ships  up  the  Seine, 
only  resting  for  the  purpose  of  ruthlessly  ravaging  its 
margin. 

The  inhabitants  of  Rouen  were  filled  with  terror 
and  dismay  at  the  approach  of  such  visitors  ;  but  the 
Archbishop  ventured,  somewhat  desperately,  upon  an 
interview  with  the  Norman  chiefs,  and  after  a  long 
parley  persuaded  them  to  spare  the  city.  This  being 
agreed  to,  they  moored  their  vessels,  entered  at  one  of 
the  gates,  minutely  inspected  the  place,  and  finding 
every  thing  to  their  taste,  determined  to  make  it  the 
capital  of  the  land  they  had  come  to  conquer.  Mean- 
time they  continued  their  voyage  up  the  Seine  to  the 
place  where  it  is  joined  by  the  river  Euro.  There  on 
its  left  bank  they  encamped,  threw  up  fortifications, 
and  calmly  awaited  the  approach  of  a  French  army, 
which  was  now  in  full  march. 

King  Charles  was  under  the  hallucination,  that  by 
one  strenuous  eflbrt  the  ruthless  spoilers  might  be 
crushed ;  and  with  this  view  mustered  his  forces  and 
intrusted  the  command  to  Regnauld,  duke  of  France. 
With  him  went  many  noble  counts,  and  took  up  a 
position  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Eure,  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  Kings  of  the  North.  Conspicuous 
among  the  banners  there  displayed  in  favor  of  law 
and  order  was  that  of  Hasting,  the  old  sea-king,  who 
had  long  since  in  weariness  deserted  the  pine-plank, 
become  a  decorous  citizen,  and  commenced  a  new 
career  as  Count  of  Chartres.     Hastina:   advised   his 


26  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

friends  not  needlessly  to  risk  a  battle,  and  though 
many  regarded  such  counsel  from  him  with  suspicion, 
it  prevailed  so  far,  that  on  the  principle  perhaps  of 
setting  one  thief  to  catch  another,  he  was  empower- 
ed, with  two  Franks  who  understood  the  Northern 
tongue,  to  negotiate  with  the  wild  and  reckless  in- 
vaders. 

Following  the  river's  course,  the  Frankish  envoys 
were  soon  opjoosite  the  camp  of  the  Normans,  and 
there  Hasting  halted,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  per- 
fectly comprehended  his  position. 

"  Ho,  my  brave  warriors  I  what  is  the  name  of 
your  chiefs  ?"  he  shouted  across  the  stream. 

"  "We  acknowledge  none,"  replied  the  Normans, 
proudly  ;  "  we  are  all  equals." 

"  "Wherefore  did  you  come  into  this  realm?  What 
seek  you  ?" 

"  We  came  to  expel  or  subjugate  the  natives  and 
make  the  country  our  own.  But  who  art  thou  who 
canst  so  readily  speak  in  our  tongue?" 

The  Count  smiled  grimly,  and  memory  brought  the 
light  of  other  days  around  him  as  he  said — "  Heard 
you  never  of  Hasting  the  famous  pirate,  who  so  long 
scoured  the  sea  and  terrified  the  land  ?" 

"Yes,"  the  Normans  cried;  "we  have  heard  of 
Hasting,  who  began  like  a  lion  and  ended  like  a 
lamb." 

"  Well,  you  must  submit  to  King  Charles,  who  for 
faithful  service  will  grant  you  fiefs  and  honors." 


NEUSTRIA  CEDED  TO    ROLL.  27 

"  No — we'll  submit  to  no  man,"  replied  the  Nor- 
mans ;  "  but  whatever  we  win  with  our  swords,  we 
can  maintain  by  the  same  means.  Thou  hast  our 
answer  I" 

Hasting  returned  to  the  royal  army,  and  reported  the 
result  of  his  mission,  at  the  same  time  expressing  his 
opinion  that  any  attempt  to  force  the  Norman  fortifi- 
cations would  be  perilous.  A  Count  named  Holland 
stood  forth,  and  exclaimed — "  That  is  the  judgment 
of  a  traitor  I"  Several  lords  repeated  the  cry,  and  the 
old  sea-king  was  cut  to  the  heart.  He  instantly 
quitted  the  camp,  deliberately  abandoned  his  county 
of  Chartres,  and  was  never  more  recognized  in  the 
haunts  of  living  men.  His  prescience  soon  appeared  ; 
for  an  assault  on  the  Norman  intrenchments  was  re- 
pulsed with  loss,  the  royal  army  totally  defeated,  and 
the  Duke  of  France  slain  by  a  fisherman  of  Rouen. 

The  Normans  now  navigated  the  Seine  without 
interruption,  besieged  Paris,  and  surprising  Bayeux, 
killed  Beranger,  its  count.  The  latter  had  a  beauti- 
ful daughter,  who  fell  to  the  share  of  Roll,  and  became 
his  wife.  Evreux,  with  several  other  towns,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Normans.  Roll  was  elected  their 
lord  ;  and  becoming  more  civilized,  he  soon  rendered 
himself  wonderfully  popular  with  the  natives  of  the 
conquered  district. 

'  The  Normans,  however,  were  undesirable  neigh- 
bors. Reinforced  by  congenial  allies,  they  preyed 
upon  the  territory  between  the  Loire  and  the  Seine, 


28  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

and  the  people  began  to  murmur  bitterly  against  ll:c 
useless  strife  ;  and  at  length,  in  912,  matters  were 
satisfactorily  accommodated.  Charles  ceded  to  Roll 
the  province  of  Neustria,  one  of  the  most  fruitful  divi- 
sions of  France.  The  Norman  chief  vowed  reforma- 
tion, accepted  Gisla,  the  king's  daughter,  in  mamage, 
and  was  received  into  the  bosom  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  On  the  occasion  of  his  taking  the  oath  of 
allegiance  at  the  village  of  St.  Clair  a  ludicrous  inci- 
dent occurred.  After  swearing,  it  vi'as  intimated,  that 
to  complete  the  ceremony  he  must  kneel  before  the 
King  and  kiss  his  foot.  Roll  declared  disdainfully 
that  he  would  perform  no  such  ceremony  for  any  man 
living ;  but  the  lords  insisting  on  it,  as  a  piece  of 
etiquette  observed  in  the  court  of  the  Frankish  Ceesar, 
he  ordered  one  of  his  soldiers  to  do  homage  in  his  stead. 
The  Norman  soldier  unhesitatingly  obeyed ;  but  neg- 
lecting to  bend  his  knee,  he  lifted  the  royal  foot  so 
high  in  the  efi'ort  to  bring  it  up  to  his  mouth,  that  the 
heir  of  Charlemagne  fell  sprawling  on  the  ground, 
and  shouts  of  derisive  laughter  burst  from  the  new 
liegemen. 

Roll  soon  divided  his  territory  into  fiefs,  changed 
its  name  to  Normandy,  maintained  internal  order  by 
severe  laws,  and  was  deemed  the  most  vigorous  justi- 
ciary of  his  day.  Such  was  the  feeling  of  security, 
that  laborers  and  mechanics  flocked  to  establish 
themselves  in  the  newly-founded  state,  and  Roll's  re- 
pute became  widely  popular.     His  followers  applied 


CONDITION   OF  THE   COUNTRY.  29 

themselves  to  agriculture,  with  as  much  ardor  as  they 
had  previously  exhibited  in  their  predatoiy  exploits; 
and  from  a  band  of  grim  pirates,  these  Normans, 
adopting  the  French  tongue,  gradually,  and  by  degrees, 
were  transformed  into  the  most  refined  race  in  Chris- 
tendom— orators  from  their  cradle,  wise  statesmen  in 
the  cabinet,  and  valiant  warriors  in  the  field. 

Meantime,  the  condition  of  France  was  wretched 
in  the  extreme.  The  descendants  of  Charlemagne 
were  the  most  impotent  of  princes,  and  totally  inca- 
pable of  ruhng  with  credit.  Indeed  the  royal  prero- 
gatives had  gradually  passed  to  the  eighteen  great 
feudatories,  who,  as  was  natural  in  the  circumstances, 
considered  that  might  was  right,  owned  no  rule  of 
conduct  but  their  iron  wills,  and  acknowledged  no 
law  but  the  length  of  their  swords.  They  dwelt  in 
castles  strongly  fortified,  levied  troops,  administered 
justice,  coined  money,  and  made  peace  or  declared 
war.  In  imitation  of  their  superiors,  the  rich  proprie- 
tors flanked  their  manor-houses  with  turrets  and  sur- 
rounded them  with  deep  ditches.  Around  the  ram- 
parts rose  the  miserable  huts  or  cabins  of  the  serfs, 
who  were  employed  as  craftsmen  or  tillers  of  the  soil. 
The  walls  of  the  old  Roman  towns  had  fallen  to 
decay ;  the  bluff,  wealthy,  industrious  burgher  no- 
where existed ;  the  urban  population  were  poor, 
servile,  and  timorous  ;  and  commerce  had  almost  dis- 
appeared. The  trader,  with  a  pack  on  his  shoulder, 
trudged  nervously  from  place  to  place,  hawking  his 


30  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

wares,  in  perpetual  dread  of  losing  his  hoarded  gains. 
The  district  long  preyed  upon  by  the  Normans  was 
for  a  time  in  the  worst  plight.  From  Blois  to  Senhs 
not  an  acre  was  cultivated ;  and  such  was  the  terror 
inspired  by  the  comrades  of  Roll  before  their  conver- 
sion, that  no  peasant  was  courageous  enough  to  labor 
either  in  the  fields  or  in  the  vineyards.  This  state 
of  matters  cast  a  gloom  over  the  spirits  of  the  men  of 
that  generation.  A  frightful  idea  prevailed  that  the 
world  was  about  to  end  ;  the  very  year  was  stated ; 
and  certain  phenomena  were  regarded  as  infallible 
omens  of  the  approaching  dissolution. 

In  the  midst  of  this  general  misery  and  depression, 
the  representative  of  the  Carlovingian  dynasty,  which 
had  long  been  condemned  in  the  public  mind,  was  set 
aside ;  and  in  987  Hugh  Capet,  count  of  Paris,  with 
the  consent  of  a  large  majority  of  the  nobles  and 
people,  was  crowned  king  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Rheims,  chief  of  the  French  clergj'.  A  national  roy- 
alty being  thus  created,  the  feudal  system  originated 
by  Charles  Martel  was  rapidly  developed,  and  had 
the  effect  of  rescuing  the  country  from  utter  chaos  and 
anarchy.  King  Hugh,  however,  was  entirely  under 
the  control  of  the  priests,  and  exercised  no  perceptible 
influence  on  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  Neither  did 
his  successor,  Robert,  a  pious,  feeble,  and  benevolent 
man,  who,  ever  the  sport  of  circumstances,  was  in 
later  years  com])letely  swayed  by  his  haughty  consort, 
Constance  of  Toulouse.     That  royal  termagant,  on 


ROMAN  CONQUEST   OF   SICILY.  31 

becoming  a  widow,  waged  war  against  her  eldest  son, 
Henry  1.,  with  the  object  of  dethroning  him  in  favor 
of  his  younger  brother.  She  was  quite  unsuccessful ; 
for  Robert,  duke  of  Normandy,  came  to  the  aid  of  his 
nominal  sovereign  ;  and  the  rebel  prince,  being  defeat- 
ed in  his  aspirations,  was  consoled  with  the  investiture 
of  the  Duchy  of  Burgundy. 

Henry's  reign  was  not  altogether  undistinguished  by 
warlike  achievements.  While  civil  war,  fear,  famine, 
wild  beasts,  and  ferocious  nobles  were  desolating  the 
realm,  his  Norman  subjects  were  rendering  their  valor 
widely  famous.  A  party  of  Normans,  in  the  guise  of 
pilgrims,  but  eager  for  martial  enterprise,  landed  on 
the  south  coast  of  Italy,  and  assisted  the  dwellers  in 
Salerno  to  vanquish  an  army  of  Saracens.  Allured 
by  the  report  of  their  exploits,  Robert  Guiscard,  and 
his  brother  Richard,  led  thither  a  band  of  martial 
adventurers,  won  a  series  of  battles,  and  founded,  in 
1052,  the  Norman  kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies. 

Philip  I.,  son  of  Henry,  succeeded  in  lOGO,  on  the 
eve  of  an  event  which  was  destined  not  only  to  stimu- 
late that  love  of  adventure  inherent  in  the  heai'ts  of 
men,  but  to  raise  up  a  succession  of  fonuidable  rivals 
to  the  lineage  of  Hugh  Capet,  and,  more  than  once, 
reduce  the  kingdom  of  France  to  the  unhappy  condi- 
tion of  a  conquered  province. 

Five  centuries  and  a  half  from  the  period  when  the 
huge  axes  and  white-horse  baimer  of  Hengist  and 
Horsa  liad  driven  the  painted  Caledonians  to  crouch 


32  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

in  their  Highland  fastnesses,  and  the  Cambrian  Bri- 
tons to  hn-k  in  the  mountains  of  Wales,  and  more  than 
two  centuries  from  the  period  when  Alfred  the  Great 
had  overcome  the  terrible  Danes — Ethelred,  king  of 
England,  espoused  Emma,  sister  of  E-ichard,  duke  of 
Normandy.  From  that  day  all  went  wrong  in  the 
country  which  oM'ned  his  sway.  Swen,  king  of  Den- 
mark, landed  on  the  shores,  unfurled  a  mystic  flag  of 
white  silk,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  black  raven 
with  open  beak  and  outspread  wings,  and  drove 
Ethelred  into  exile.  The  dethroned  king  sought  ref- 
uge in  Normandy,  and  there  his  son,  afterward  known 
as  Edward  the  Confessor,  was  brought  up  from  in- 
fancy. 

At  that  time  there  was  being  educated  with  no 
slight  care,  in  the  palace  of  Rouen,  a  spirited  urchin, 
named  William,  whose  mother,  Arlete,  had  been 
daughter  of  a  skinner  in  Falsaise.  When  this  lad 
was  about  eight  years  old,  Duke  Robert,  seized  with 
a  desire  of  undertaking  a  penitential  pilgrimage  on  foot 
to  Jerusalem,  was  told  by  his  barons  that  it  would  be 
unsafe  to  leave  them  without  a  chief.  "  By  my  faith," 
answered  the  Duke,  "  I'll  not  leave  you  in  that  posi- 
tion. I  have  a  little  boy,  who  will  grow  a  gallant 
man,  if  it  please  God.  Take  my  son  then  as  your 
chief,  for  I  declare  him  my  heir,  and  give  him  from 
this  time  the  whole  Duchy  of  Normandy."  It  suited 
the  barons  to  raise  no  objections.  They  placed  their 
hands  in  the  young  bastard's,  and  pledged  their  fidel- 


WILLIAM   OF  NORMANDY.  33 

ity.  Duke  Robert  breathed  his  last  Avhile  a  pilgrim ; 
several  barons  protested  against  William's  succession  ; 
and  two  seigneurs,  prouder  than  the  others  of  their 
pure  Northern  blood,  headed  the  malcontents.  But 
the  King  of  France,  from  motives  of  policy,  aided 
William  against  his  enemies,  and  secured  the  boy  in 
his  duchy. 

The  young  Duke  shovv^ed  himself  very  vi^arlike,  and 
excessively  ambitious.  He  soon  assumed  armor,  learn- 
ed to  mount  his  war-steed  without  placing  his  foot  in 
the  stirrup,  and  attacked  the  provinces  of  Brittany  and 
Anjou.  He  was  at  great  pains  to  enrich  his  mother's 
relations  ;  he  espoused  Matilda,  daughter  of  Baldwin, 
count  of  Flanders  ;  and  he  exacted  from  the  Saxon 
Edward  a  promise  of  being  heir  to  the  English  crown, 
in  case  of  that  exiled  prince  ever  being  restored  to  the 
dignity  enjoyed  by  his  kingly  ancestors.  The  arms 
and  policy  of  the  great  Earl  Godwin  placed  Edward 
on  his  father's  throne,  and  the  English  king  married 
liis  restorer's  daughter — the  beautiful,  excellent,  and 
learned  Edith.  Nevertheless,  though  receiving  the 
hand  of  an  English  bride,  King  Edward  was  wholly 
wedded  to  Norman  ideas  and  sentiments,  and  speedily 
surrounded  himself  with  favorites  from  the  country  in 
which  he  had  been  reared.  Norman  warriors  gov- 
erned his  fortresses  ;  Norman  prelates  were  preferred 
to  bishoprics  ;  and  Norman  politicians  figured  as  the 
king's  councilors.  Nay,  more  :  Norman-French  was 
spoken,  not  only  in  the  palace  of  Westminster,  but  in 
C 


34  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

the  residences  of  the  English  patricians  ;  and  many  of 
the  latter,  forgetting  which  was  in  reality  the  greater 
race,  servilely  imitated  the  strangers,  even  to  the  ex- 
tent of  donning  short  mantles  with  wide  sleeves,  in- 
stead of  long  cloaks,  and  in  appending  their  seals  to 
documents  instead  of  signing  their  names. 

Against  these  extremely  unpopular  innovations, 
Earl  Godwin  and  his  son  Harold  scornfully  and  im- 
compromisingly  set  their  faces,  and  their  contumacy 
was  punished  hy  an  irksome  banishment.  They  sought 
refuge  in  Flanders  ;  and  it  was  then  that  "William  of 
Normandy  repaired  to  England  on  a  visit  to  his  old 
comrade,  Edward  the  Confessor.  He  found  the  coun- 
try pleasant  and  wealthy,  but  very  different,  both  in 
climate  and  condition,  from  what  it  is  in  the  nine- 
teenth century.  Good  and  wholesome  wine  was  pro- 
duced  by  the  vineyards  of  Glastonbury,  by  whose  rich 
abbey  grew  the  miraculous  thorn,  said  to  have  bloom- 
ed annually  at  Christmas.  The  mountains  of  Crag 
Eyriri  were  whitened  with  perpetual  snow  ;  a  large 
portion  of  the  island  was  covered  with  forests,  which 
were  ranged  by  the  bear,  boar,  and  wild  bull ;  and 
yellow  wolves  still  infested  the  sheepfold,  though  an 
English  king  hail  done  his  utmost  to  extirpate  the 
breed  by  enjoining  his  Welsh  subjects  to  bring  in 
wolves'  heads  to  the  treasury  instead  of  tribute-money. 
Winchester  was  the  true  constitutional  capital  of  the 
realm,  in  whose  palace  the  old  Saxon  kings  had  re- 
sided, and  in  whose  cathedral  the  Confessor  had  been 


WILLIAM'S   AMBITIOUS    VIEWS.  35 

crowned.  But  London  had  been  resorted  to  by  foreij^n 
traders  as  early  as  the  seventh  century,  and  was  re- 
garded as  a  most  populous  and  flourishing  city.  The 
conamerce  of  the  country  was  extensive,  relatively  to 
the  period  ;  and  the  stufis  embroidered  by  English 
Avomen  were  wonderful  in  the  eyes  of  strangers.  Of 
the  magnificence  of  the  English  nobles  some  concep- 
tion may  be  formed  from  the  statement  that  Earl  God- 
win, on  one  occasion,  bribed  a  dominant  Dane  with  a 
vessel  adorned  with  gilt  metal,  manned  with  eighty 
soldiers,  each  of  them  wearing  a  gold  helmet,  a  gilt  ax 
on  his  left  shoulder,  a  javelin  in  his  right  hand,  and 
on  each  arm  a  bracelet  of  gold,  weighing  six  ounces. 
Well  might  the  avarice  and  ambition  of  the  Norman 
duke  be  stimulated  by  such  a  land,  especially  at  the 
time  when  the  energy  of  the  fiery  Dane  was  being  ad- 
vantageously engrafted  on  the  sagacity  of  the  wealthy 
Saxon,  and  when  hostile  races  were  gradually  sitting 
down  in  peace  together. 

Before  the  sudden  restoration  of  Earl  Godwin  to  his 
country  ^Yilliam  had  returned  to  Normandy,  bringing 
with  him  presents  of  dogs,  horses,  and  falcons,  and  an 
ardent  ambition  to  rule  over  rich  England.  Events 
favored  his  bold  aspirations.  When  Harold  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  influence  and  possessions  of  his  father 
Godwin,  he  was  imprudent  enough,  in  company  Avith 
several  gay  companions,  to  undertake  a  voyage  to  Nor- 
mandy. William,  who  was  as  skillful  in  discerning 
his  interest  as  crafty  and  unwavering  in  pursuing  it. 


36  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS— FRANCE. 

received  his  notle  guest  with  joy,  carried  him  about 
from  town  to  towTi,  and  from  castle  to  castle,  and  en- 
rolled his  English  followers  in  the  Norman  militia. 
Harold  accompanied  his  host,  and  signahzed  his  prow- 
ess in  a  war  against  the  Bretons.  The  English  earl 
and  the  Norman  duke  became  intimate,  fought  as 
brothers-in-arms,  slept  in  the  same  tent,  and  dined  at 
the  same  table.  At  length  Wilham  lured  Harold  into 
a  promise,  and  afterward,  by  a  cunningly-devised  cer- 
emony, made  him  swear,  to  aid  his  ducal  host  in  ob- 
taining the  English  crown.  The  oath  was  taken  over 
holy  rehcs,  in  presence  of  the  assembled  barons,  and 
Harold  departed  with  an  idea  that,  as  it  had  been 
sworn  under  compulsion,  it  was  not  binding  on  liis 
conscience. 

In  the  year  lOGG,  Edward  the  Confessor  died,  hav- 
ing previously  named  Earl  Harold  as  the  man  most 
worthy  to  reign.  Accordingly,  the  rich  and  popular 
son  of  Godwin  was  elected  king,  and  from  the  day  of 
his  elevation  proved  himself  a  wise,  just,  and  energetic 
ruler. 

When  news  of  Harold's  election  was  carried  to  the 
court  of  Rouen,  the  Duke  of  Normandy  immediately 
dispatched  messengers  to  remind  his  former  guest  of  the 
engagement  under  which  he  had  so  solemnly  come. 
But  the  mission  proving  fruitless,  William  resolved  to 
make  good  his  claim  by  force ;  and  having  obtained 
the  sanction  of  the  Papal  court  to  his  daring  enterprise, 
he  landed  an  army  without  resistance  at  Pevensey, 


NORMAN  CONQUEST  OF  ENGLAND.     37 

near  Hastings.  It  was  about  the  close  of  September, 
when  Harold,  the  Enghsh  monarch,  having  previously 
defeated  Harold  Hardrada,  king  of  Norway,  who  fell 
dead  on  the  banks  of  the  Humber,  while  riding  through 
the  ranks  on  his  coal-black  steed,  chanting  extempore 
verse,  brought  his  army,  flushed  with  recent  victory, 
but  weary  with  long  marches,  against  the  well-disci- 
plined Norman  host  at  Hastings,  on  the  spot  where 
Battle  Abbey  was  subsequently  erected.  The  issue 
was  extremely  disastrous  to  the  English.  Their  brave 
king,  with  two  of  his  brothers,  fell  fighting  at  the  foot 
of  their  standard  ;  and  after  a  struggle,  which  was  con- 
tinued in  desperation  till  sunset,  the  English  army  dis- 
persed in  confusion.  Some  expired  of  sheer  fatigue  by 
the  way  ;  and  otliers  were  chased  to  death  and  tram- 
pled down  by  the  fierce  Norman  horsemen,  who  grant- 
ed no  quarter.  The  victors  marched  on  to  London, 
and  William,  being  crowned  in  the  abbey  of  West- 
minster, planted  the  three-lion  banner  of  Normandy 
on  the  battlements  of  the  Tower,  which  became  his 
residence  in  summer,  as  the  castle  of  Gloucester 
was  in  winter,  and  the  palace  of  Winchester  in 
spring. 

Having  portioned  out  the  English  territory  in  the 
south  and  eastern  provinces  among  his  adventurous 
followers,  and,  indeed,  so  distributed  rewards  and 
honors  that  the  natives  of  England  were  at  the  feet 
of  nobles  who  had  been  drovers  in  Normandy,  and  of 
knights  who  had  been  weavers  in  Flanders,  William 


438147 


38  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.-FRANCE. 

returned  in  triumph  to  his  continental  dominions.  He 
brought  thither  a  larger  quantity  of  the  precious  metals 
than  was  to  be  found  in  the  whole  of  Gaul,  and  sever- 
al of  the  English  who  had  been  delivered  to  him  as 
hostages.  He  was  received  with  the  utmost  enthu- 
siasm by  the  crowds  who  flocked  from  Rouen  to  the 
sea-shore.  A  kinsman  of  the  French  monarch,  in- 
spired by  curiosity,  went  with  a  numerous  train  to  the 
Norman  court ;  and  the  French  vied  with  the  Nor- 
mans in  their  admiration  of  the  personal  beauty  of  the 
long-haired  hostages ;  and  not  less,  it  may  be  taken 
for  granted,  in  their  appreciation  of  the  chased  gold 
and  silver  plate,  and  the  massive  horn  drinkiiig-cups, 
which  enabled  the  Conqueror  to  display  his  bounty 
and  munificence.  "William's  vanity  was  gratified  ;  no 
one  dared  now  to  allude  to  his  grandsire's  occupation  : 
he  had,  in  fact,  made  himself  the  most  independent 
eovereign  in  Europe.  Repairing  to  England,  he 
marched  into  the  west,  despoiled  the  Enghsh  inhabit- 
ants, divided  their  lands,  and  took  them  as  subjects 
on  liis  own  terms. 

The  Noraian  king  had  not  yet,  however,  any  reason 
to  sigh  for  another  world  to  conquer.  There  still  lay 
beyond  the  Humber  a  vast  tract  of  land,  where  no 
Norman  horse-shoe  had  ever  left  its  print ;  where  tall 
Danes  and  wise  Saxons  were  plowing,  sowing,  and 
reaping,  and  marrj'ing  and  giving  in  marriage  ;  and 
where  Edgar  Atheling,  the  rightful  heir  of  the  old 
Saxon  dynasty,  was  acknowledged  as  King  of  En- 


PHILIP'S  JEALOUSY   OF   WILLIAM.  39 

gland,  and  celebrated  by  bards  as  the  brave,  beauti- 
ful darling  of  his  country.  Thither  William  went 
with  a  vow  of  extermination,  and  precipitating  his 
army  on  Northumberland,  he  deliberately  burned 
towns,  villages,  and  fields  of  corn,  including  in  his 
vengeance  the  flocks  and  herds,  as  well  as  human 
beings.  Having  in  this  manner  spread  desolation  to 
the  borders  of  the  Tweed,  though  without  subduing 
the  natives,  the  foreign  king  turned  his  arms  against 
Chester,  entered  the  city,  and  rode  through  the  echoing 
streets  as  a  conqueror,  estabhshed  a  fortress  to  awe  the 
inhabitants,  and  conferred  the  surrounding  district  on 
one  of  his  numerous  followers. 

As  may  be  supposed,  Philip,  king  of  France,  though 
leading  a  scandalous  life,  and  indulging  in  the  utmost 
license,  did  not  contemplate  without  jealousy  and  un- 
easiness the  increase  of  wealth  and  authority  which 
his  great  subject,  "William  of  Normandy,  had  derived 
from  a  military  expedition,  at  once  daring,  speculative, 
and  successful.  As  early  as  1073  he  had  entered  into 
communications  with  Edgar  Athelmg,  and  tempted 
that  luckless  prince  to  make  one  heroic  venture  for 
his  ancestral  crown.  The  royal  Saxon  was  satisfied 
with  Philip's  friendly  proposals,  and  accepted  the  invi- 
tation of  that  monarch  to  visit  France.  But  hardly 
had  he  sailed  from  the  territories  of  his  hospitable 
kinsman,  Malcolm,  king  of  Scots,  when  a  violent 
tempest  wrecked  his  ships,  and  the  exile  was  persuad- 
ed to  yield  to  his  fate,  and  submit  to  the  Conqueror. 


40  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

William,  who  was  at  the  time  achieving  triumphs  in 
Maine,  invited  the  suppliant  heir  of  kings  to  repair  to 
Normandy,  and  Edgar  took  up  his  residence  at  the 
court  of  Rouen.  While  there  he  wore  the  Conqueror's 
Hvery,  received  one  mark  a  day  from  the  treasury,  and 
amused  himself  with  dogs  and  horses.  He  even  con- 
ceived so  strong  a  fancy  for  a  celebrated  charger  in 
the  king's  stables,  that  he  purchased  the  animal  by 
abandoning  his  pension.  Such  a  being  was  evidently 
no  fit  instrument  for  Philip's  purposes. 

But  when  the  territorial  subjugation  of  England 
had  been  xjompleted  by  lawless  force,  when  the  grand 
roll,  which  the  natives  with  too  much  reason  called 
Doomsday  Book,  had  created  feuds  among  the  Nor- 
mans, and  when  William  was  worn  out  with  the  cares 
and  fatigues  of  a  twenty -years'  straggle,  an  enemy  to 
his  peace  started  from  out  of  his  own  household. 
This  was  no  less  near  a  relative  than  his  eldest  son, 
Robert,  who  on  the  Conqueror's  refusing  to  abdicate 
Normandy  in  his  favor,  quarreled  with  his  brothers, 
attacked  Rouen,  and  went  about  publishing  his 
grievances  till  he  enlisted  Philip's  aid.  He  was  thus 
enabled  to  raise  a  body  of  mercenaries,  and  fortify 
himself  in  a  strong  castle.  There  the  rebel  prince 
was  besieged,  and  encountered  hand  to  hand  by  his 
stern  sire.  Peace  between  them  was  restored,  but 
soon  after  Robert,  with  a  father's  curse  upon  his  head, 
fared  forth  to  seek  new  adventures. 

In  1087,  William,  for  the  tlrird  and  last  time,  left 


WAR    WITH   NORMANDY.  41 

England,  groaning  under  the  yoke  he  had  imposed, 
and  repaired  to  Normandy,  which  he  liad  enriched 
with  the  plunder  of  the  ancient  kingdom.  He  was 
eager  to  terminate  his  diflerences  with  the  King  of 
France,  and  while  confined  to  his  bed  in  the  palace  of 
E-ouen  directed  negotiations  with  that  view.  At  the 
same  time  two  of  his  sons,  Robert  and  Henry,  hap- 
pened to  visit  the  French  court.  One  day  while  there, 
they  began  to  play  at  chess  with  Louis,  the  heir-ap- 
parent to  the  crown  of  France.  Henry,  who  is  known 
in  history  by  the  surname  of  Beauclerc,  appears  to 
have  been  marvelously  successful  in  gaming,  and  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  on  this  occasion  fctftune 
did  not  desert  him.  At  all  events,  Louis,  somehow  or 
other,  lost  his  temper,  and  high  words  ensuing,  he  not 
only  taunted  the  Norman  princes  with  their  father's 
base  birth,  but  contemptuously  threw  the  chessmen  in 
their  faces.  This  was  more  than  Henry's  flesh  and 
blood  could  bear.  He  seized  the  chessboard  with  both 
hands,  and  hurled  it  with  so  much  fury  at  the  head 
of  Louis,  that  the  latter  fell  bleeding  on  the  floor. 
The  Norman  princes  started  up  in  alarm,  hurried  to 
the  stables,  mounted  their  horses,  and  eflected  their 
escape. 

Jests,  too  coarse  to  be  repeated  now,  passed  between 
the  kings  of  England  and  France.  William  arose 
from  his  sick-bed,  assembled  an  army,  and  entered 
his  feudal  superior's  dominions  in  the  last  week  of 
July.     The  corn  was  waving  on  the  fields  ;  the  grapes 


42  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

were  swelling  in  the  vineyards ;  and  the  fruit  was 
ripening  on  the  trees.  William's  horsemen  trod  down 
the  corn,  destroyed  the  vines,  cut  up  the  fruit-trees, 
and  set  the  town  of  Mantes  on  fire.  In  a  state  of 
frantic  joy  he  rode  through  the  flames,  enjoying  the 
scene  of  destruction,  and  encoui'aging  his  soldiers  in 
the  work  of  conflagration.  But  as  he  was  cantering 
among  the  ruins  his  courser  stumbled  over  some  burn- 
ing embers,  and  fell  with  a  start,  which  proved  fatal 
to  the  corpulent  rider.  The  excitement  he  had  un- 
dergone while  galloping  about  and  hounding  on  his 
men  rendered  the  wound  incurable,  and,  in  a  hapless 
plight,  he  was  carried  back  to  Rouen.  Finding  the 
noise  from  the  streets  intolerable,  he  was  conveyed  to 
the  priory  of  St.  Gervase,  standing  quietly  on  a  hill 
outside  the  city.  There,  under  the  care  of  his  physi- 
cians, the  Bishop  of  Lysieux  and  the  Abbot  of  Jumieges, 
WiUiam  prepared  for  death,  received  the  sacrament, 
and  settled  his  affairs.  To  his  eldest  son,  who  was 
then  at  Abbeville,  he  left  Normandy,  but  expressed  his 
conviction  that  the  land  would  be  wretched  over  which 
Robert  ruled.  In  regard  to  William  Rufus,  the  second 
son,  who  stood  by  his  uneasy  couch,  the  Conqueror 
spoke  in  accents  of  filial  afi'ection,  and  expressed  an 
earnest  wish  that  he  should  inherit  the  crown  of  En- 
gland. Rufus  took  the  palatable  hint,  received  the 
dying  man's  blessing,  and  embarked  forthwith  to  urge 
his  claim.  To  Henry,  his  youngest  and  favorite  son, 
William  then  granted  five  thousand  pounds  in  white 


END   Ot     WILLIAM    THE    CONQUEUOU.         43 

silver,  told  and  weighed  ;  and  to  the  young  prince's 
complaint  of  having  neither  houses  nor  land,  gave  the 
comfortable  assurance  that  they  would  all  be  his  when 
the  others  had  run  their  course.  Besides,  he  ordered 
all  his  prisoners  to  be  set  free,  and  then  awaited  the 
great  destroyer. 

About  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  September  the 
10th,  the  Conqueror  of  England,  after  languishing  for 
six  weeks,  opened  his  eyes  for  the  last  time  to  the 
light  of  day.  As  he  awoke,  the  sound  of  bells  and  the 
voices  of  the  monks  singing  their  Latin  hymn  to  the 
hour  of  prime,  filled  his  ear.  The  exhausted  warrior 
turned  on  his  bed,  and  his  hands,  so  often  imbrued  in 
blood,  were  still  raised  in  prayer,  when  his  fierce  soul 
winged  its  way  from  earth.  The  news  spread,  and 
confusion  reigned  throughout  the  palace.  Henry  rush- 
ed to  the  treasury  to  secure  his  legacy ;  the  barons 
mounted  and  rode  off  to  their  castles ;  and  the  do- 
mestics carried  away  the  armor,  plate,  and  household 
stuffs.  The  corpse  was  unattended,  save  by  a  solitary 
menial ;  but  at  length  a  private  country  gentleman 
took  measures  for  its  inhumation  ;  and  being  placed 
in  a  boat  on  the  Seine,  it  was  conveyed  for  interment 
to  a  cathedral  which  the  Conqueror  had  built  at  Caen, 
and  dedicated  to  St.  Stephen. 

The  dead  king  had,  before  rising  from  his  bed  and 
setting  out  on  his  last  expedition,  vowed,  in  answer  to 
a  rough  speech  of  the  French  monarch,  that  he  would 
be  churched  at  Notre  Dame,  with  ten  thousand  lances 


44  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

for  his  caudles  ;  and  he  was  not  a  man  likely  to  forego 
his  threat.  It  is  not  wonderful,  therefore,  that  Philip 
talked  more  freely,  and  experienced  a  feeling  of  joyful 
relief,  when  so  formidable  a  foe  breathed  his  last. 
However,  he  speedily  found  a  new  enemy  in  the  Pope, 
who  passed  on  the  licentious  king  a  sentence  of  ex- 
communication ;  and  Philip,  a  victim  to  the  fear  of 
death  and  to  a  haunting  superstition,  finished  his  days 
in  the  garb  of  a  Benedictine  monk. 

His  successor,  Louis  VI. — he  who  had  insulted  the 
Conqueror's  sons — did  much  to  redeem  the  Capetian 
line  of  kings  from  the  reproach  of  ignorance,  inertness, 
and  worthlessness.  "With  a  comprehension  of  the 
spirit  of  that  age,  he  accomplished  himself  in  warlike 
exercises,  and  won  renown  and  admiration  as  the  first 
knight  in  France.  His  position  was  arduous,  for  his 
great  barons  were  in  open  rebellion,  and  at  their  head 
was  Henry  Beauclerc,  who,  when  his  brother  "William 
E-ufus  was  accidentally  shot  in  the  New  Forest,  not 
only  seized  upon  the  English  crown,  but  deprived 
Robert  of  the  duchy  of  Normandy.  King  Louis 
ravaged  Normandy  with  an  army,  and  was  successful 
in  exacting  favorable  conditions  from  a  council  con- 
vened at  Rheims,  and  presided  over  by  the  Pope.  The 
nobles  had  of  late  become  so  lawless,  that  they  in- 
fested the  roads  between  Paris  and  Orleans,  plunder- 
ing the  villages  and  robbing  the  merchants  ;  but  the 
King,  after  a  desperate  efibrt,  reduced  many  to  sub- 
mission, and  established  public  security.     Louis  was 


ELEANOR  OF   AQUITAINE.  45 

careful  also  to  aid  the  middle  class,  then  struggling  into 
existence.  During  his  reign  several  Communes  were 
enfranchised ;  the  schools  of  Paris  became  famous ; 
and  students,  attracted  by  the  eloquence  of  Abelard, 
still  guiltless  of  Heloise's  ruin,  thronged  the  gardens 
of  Ste.  Genevieve. 

Henry  I.,  king  of  England,  dying  in  1135,  left  the 
crown  to  his  daughter  Maude,  who  having  survived 
her  first  husband,  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  had 
afterward  become  the  wife  of  Geoffrey  Plantagenet, 
count  of  Anjou.  But  her  martial  cousin,  Stephen, 
count  of  Boulogne,  claimed  the  English  throne,  and  es- 
tablished himself  thereon  by  force  of  will  and  force  of 
arms.  In  revenge,  Geoffrey  Plantagenet,  invoked  the 
aid  of  William,  duke  of  Aquitaine,  and  together  they 
laid  waste  Noi-mandy  with  fire  and  sword.  The  mal- 
edictions heaped  on  them  by  the  sufl'ering  inhabitants 
reached  the  heart  of  even  so  hardened  a  sinner  as 
"William,  and  remorse  took  possession  of  his  soul. 
Thus  it  happened,  that,  moved  by  the  preaching  of 
Saint  Bernard,  then  Abbot  of  Cluirvaux,  the  Duke 
fell  penitently  on  his  face,  and,  divesting  himself  of  all 
liis  dominions  in  favor  of  his  daughter  Eleanor,  under- 
took a  pilgrimage  to  CompostcUa,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  died.  Eleanor  was  thereupon  affianced  to 
the  son  of  King  Louis,  who,  with  a  splendid  retinue, 
went  to  Aquitaine  and  celebrated  the  marriage,  in 
1137,  the  year  in  the  course  of  which  he  ascended  the 
tlirone. 


46  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Louis  YII.  at  first  exhibited  a  spirit  not  unequal  in 
warlike  enthusiasm  to  that  which  had  distinguished 
his  knightly  father.  He  aided  Geoffrey  Plantagenet 
to  conquer  Normandy,  checked  the  power  of  Stephen, 
and  opposed  the  usurpations  of  the  Pope.  But  in  the 
midst  of  these  successes  he  was  induced  to  take  part 
in  an  enterprise  which  proved  fatal  to  his  pride  and 
his  popularity. 

In  the  previous  century  the  pious  zeal  of  an  enthu- 
siast, known  as  Peter  the  Hermit,  had  been  elevated 
by  a  visit  to  Palestine  to  so  lofty  a  pitch,  that  on  re- 
turning to  Europe  he  inflamed  the  minds  of  men  with 
an  eager  desire  to  deliver  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from 
the  Saracens.  "With  that  view,  and  countenanced  by 
Pope  Urban,  a  multitude  of  serfs,  women,  and  labor- 
ers, assumed  the  cross,  which  was  a  piece  of  red  stuff 
worn  on  the  right  shoulder,  and  under  the  guidance 
of  Peter  the  Hermit,  and  a  knight  surnamed  Walter 
the  Penniless,  went  forth  to  perish  of  fatigue  and  hun- 
ger by  the  way.  This  band  was  succeeded  by  a  dis- 
ciplined host,  led  by  Robert,  son  of  William  the  Con- 
queror, Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  the  hero  of  the  "  Jerusa- 
lem Delivered,"  and  Count  Raymond.  They  were 
successful  in  founding  a  Christian  state  in  Palestine, 
of  which  Godfrey  became  king,  and  the  feudal  system 
was  thus  organized  in  the  East.  Such  was  the  first 
crusade  :  but  the  second  was  less  favorable  in  its  re- 
Eults. 

Intelligence  of  the  capture  of  Edessa  having  reach- 


CRUSADE  PREACHED  BY  ST.  BERNARD.   47 

ed  Europe,  Bernard  of  Clairvaux  called  upon  the  Pope 
to  unsheathe  the  sword  of  Christendom,  and  at  the 
same  time  appealed  to  King  Louis.  In  the  spring  of 
1146  the  saintly  Abhot  appeared  at  Vezelay,  and  on 
one  of  the  hills  near  the  town  addressed  an  immense 
concourse,  conspicuous  in  which  were  the  King  and 
(iueen  of  France,  surrounded  by  their  barons  and 
prelates.  Never  was  an  oratorical  triumph  more  com- 
plete. His  appeal  was  enthusiastically  responded  to 
by  a  simultaneous  shout  from  the  swelling  hearts  of 
the  excited  listeners,  and  they  cast  themselves  at  Ber- 
nard's feet  to  receive  from  his  hands  the  blessed  cross. 
Louis,  eager  to  expiate  the  crime  of  a  French  army 
in  burning  the  church  of  Vitry,  set  out  forthwith  at 
the  head  of  a  hundred  thousand  soldiers  ;  but  the 
whole  expedition  was  marked  by  disaster,  and  having 
resolved  itself  into  a  devotional  pilgrimage  to  the  holy 
places,  terminated  in  the  return  of  Louis  with  a  mere 
fragment  of  the  noble  army  he  had  led  forth  under  the 
national  baimer,  with  its  flame-shaped  edges  and  staff' 
of  gold. 

The  deplorable  result  of  the  second  crusade  totally 
changed  the  character  of  Louis,  who  became  so  soft 
and  sluggish  a  monarch,  that  dueen  Eleanor,  a  wo' 
man  of  high  spirit,  turbulent  temper,  and  perverse  dis- 
position, was  mortified  with  his  loss  of  dignity.  Thi.s 
led  to  important  consequences  ;  for,  having  procured 
a  divorce,  Eleanor  gave  her  hand  to  Henry  II.  of  En- 
gland, son  of  the  Empress  Maude,  the  first  of  tho 


48  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Plantagenet  kings ;  and  he  acquired  in  her  right,  as 
heiress  of  Aquitaine,  a  vast  tract  of  land,  extending 
from  the  Loire  to  the  Pyrenees. 

It  would  indeed  have  heen  something  novel  in  the 
lilstory  of  human  nature,  if  under  such  circumstances 
jealousy  had  not  arisen  between  the  two  sovereigns; 
and  war  ere  long  broke  out.  While  Henry  was  fight- 
ing with  success  on  the  Continent,  his  warlike  baron, 
Strongbow,  earl  of  Pembroke,  was  engaged  with  the 
conquest  of  Ireland  ;  and  Henry's  position  was  ren- 
dered still  more  formidable  by  the  capture  and  sub- 
mission of  William,  king  of  Scots,  when  suddenly  the 
French  king  found  a  potent  auxiliary  in  Thomas  a 
Becket,  the  Anglo-Saxon  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
who  ultimately  expiated  his  zeal  for  the  Church  and 
his  determined  hostility  to  the  Crown,  by  falling  at 
the  foot  of  the  altar,  wounded  with  the  swords  of  four 
Norman  knights.  From  that  day  all  went  wrong 
with  the  King  of  England.  Deserted  by  his  wife, 
rebelled  against  by  his  sons,  and  humiliated  by  the 
clergy,  his  life  became  a  continual  scene  of  mortifica- 
tion. 

Louis  died  after  causing  his  eldest  son  to  be  crown- 
ed, and  sealing  an  equivocal  triumph  over  his  royal 
rival  by  a  pilgrimage  to  Becket's  shrine  ;  and  Philip 
Augustus  soon  made  his  neighbors  feel,  that  France 
was  under  a  ruler  at  once  more  able  and  energetic 
than  any  of  those  who  had  reigned  since  the  days  of 
Charlemagne.     By  setting  the  sons  against  the  father, 


THE   THIKU    CllUSADE.  49 

he  continued  an  inveterate  struggle  with  the  active 
King  of  England,  till  Hemy  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Richard,  surnamed  Cccur  dc  Lion. 

At  that  time  the  heart  of  Christian  Europe  was 
beating  with  impatience  for  a  third  crusade  ;  and  no 
man  was  more  zealous  than  the  fiery,  impetuous 
Richard.  Having,  therefore,  obtained  from  the  En- 
glish what  money  he  could,  the  royal  knight-errant 
hastened  to  the  Continent,  to  complete  arrangements 
in  concert  with  Philip.  The  two  kings,  as  well  as 
the  Emperor  of  Germany,  fared  forth  at  the  head  of 
splendid  and  well-appointed  armies  ;  but  their  alliance 
was  hollow,  and  disputes  speedily  arose.  Philip  and 
Richard  quarreled  while  wintering  in  Sicily ;  and 
Richard,  repudiating  a  matrimonial  contract  with 
Philip's  sister,  the  Lady  Alice,  received  as  his  bride 
Berengaria,  daughter  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  whose 
beauty  had  inspired  him  with  a  romantic  attachment. 
To  make  matters  worse,  the  Emperor  was  drowned 
while  crossing  the  river  Senef ;  and  after  the  capture 
of  Acre  the  French  king,  finding  that  two  stars  of  such 
magnitude  as  himself  and  Richard  could  not  keep  their 
motion  in  one  sphere,  withdrew  amid  the  hisses  and 
jeers  of  the  Crusaders,  returned  home,  and  left  his 
lion-hearted  rival  to  pursue  the  career  of  glory,  to 
carry  on  the  war  against  Saladin,  the  heroic  sultan  of 
Egypt,  and  to  fill  the  East  with  the  fame  of  brilliant 
exploits. 

After  winning  a  series  of  victories,  and  exhausting 
D 


50  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

the  patience  of  his  brothers-in-arrns,  Richard  signed  » 
treaty  with  Saladin,  and  bent  his  steps  homeward. 
Disguised  as  a  merchant,  and  attended  by  a  single 
page,  he  was  resting  from  his  fatigues  at  a  village  near 
Vienna,  when  forcibly  seized  by  Leopold  of  Austria, 
whom  he  had  insulted  at  Acre.  The  Duke  sold  his 
redoubted  foe  to  the  Emperor,  who  cast  Richard  into 
prison,  and  then  informed  the  King  of  France  that 
their  dread  enemy  was  immured  and  fettered  in  a 
mountam  castle,  with  no  other  means  of  whiling  away 
the  tedious  hours  than  exercising  his  art  as  a  poet  and 
troubadour  in  the  composition  of  verses,  or  indulging  his 
jovial  disposition  in  a  carouse  wth  his  armed  guards. 

Philip  mourned  not  at  the  news,  but  soon  after  was 
visited  at  Paris  by  Richard's  unw'orthy  brother,  John, 
wdth  whom,  in  violation  of  a  sacred  pledge,  he  formed 
a  scheme  for  the  partition  of  the  captive  king's  various 
dominions,  and  for  the  perpetuation  of  his  durance. 
Their  plots  proved  vain  :  for  such  was  the  indignation 
felt  throughout  Christendom  that  the  boldest  champion 
of  the  cross  should  languish  in  a  dungeon,  that  the 
Emperor,  yielding  to  European  opinion  and  the  Pope's 
threat  of  anathema,  after  exacting  an  enormous  ran- 
som, set  the  great  Crusader  free  ;  and  Philip,  in  alarm, 
wrote  to  his  ally.  Prince  John,  "  Beware  I  for  the  devil 
has  got  loose." 

Richard,  restored  to  liberty,  forgave  his  treacherous 
brother,  but  toward  Philip  he  Ava.s  by  no  means  so 
charitable.     Bent  on  revenge,  he  formed  an  alliance 


WAR  BETWEEN    PHILIP  AND    RICHARD.      51 

with  the  French  barons,  and,  supported  by  the  popular 
feeling  in  England,  commenced  a  war,  which  was 
carried  on  with  varying  success  till  1198,  when  the 
two  kings  met  in  arms  near  Gisors,  and  a  fierce  fight 
took  place.  Richard  signally  displayed  his  martial 
prowess,  unhorsed  three  knights  at  a  single  charge, 
and  drove  the  enemy  across  the  Ejite,  in  whose  waters 
Philip,  while  flying,  was  well-nigh  drowned.  Dur- 
ing a  truce  agreed  to  for  the  space  of  five  years,  one  of 
the  belligerents  was  cut  ofF^  in  his  forty-second  year. 

A  peasant  plowing  in  a  field  near  Limoges,  discov- 
ered a  treasure,  consisting  of  several  remains  of  an- 
tiquity, the  most  curious  of  which  was  a  massive  gold- 
en ornament,  representing  an  emperor  with  his  family 
seated  at  table.  The  viscount  of  the  district  seized  on 
these,  and,  in  spite  of  Richard's  claim  as  lord-para- 
mount, refused  to  surrender  the  treasure.  Richard  in- 
vested the  castle  of  Chaluz,  within  whose  walls  the 
relics  were  understood  to  be  concealed  ;  but  on  the 
fourth  day  of  the  siege,  while  riding  round  the  fortress 
with  no  defensive  armor  save  a  breast-plate,  his  shoul- 
der was  pierced  by  an  arrow  from  a  cross-bow,  and  the 
slight  wound  proved  fatal  to  the  hero,  at  whose  name 
monarchs  had  often  grown  pale. 

Before  going  to  Palestine,  Richard  had  nominated 
Arthur,  duke  of  Brittany,  the  son  of  his  brother  Geof- 
frey, as  heir  to  his  dominions ;  but  subsequently  he 
had  been  induced  to  favor  the  claims  of  Prince  John, 
who,  having  secured  the  fealty  of  the  English  bar- 


62  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

ons  by  fallacious  promises,  crossed  to  Normandy,  of 
which  he  took  temporary  possession.  King  Philip  was 
quite  determined,  for  his  own  interest,  that  Arthur's 
claim  should  not  be  left  unvindicated.  He,  therefore, 
espoused  the  boy-duke's  cause,  promised  him  a  French 
princess  m  marriage,  and  came  to  a  rupture  with 
John.  Hostilities  commenced,  but,  unhappily,  at  the 
siege  of  Mirabeau,  Arthur  and  his  sister  fell  into  the 
hands  of  their  unnatural  kinsman.  The  young  prin- 
cess, known  as  the  Maid  of  Brittany,  was  sent  to  the 
castle  of  Bristol,  where  she  remained  a  prisoner  for 
life.  The  ill-fated  Arthur  was  still  more  summarily 
dealt  with.  Being  conveyed  to  Falaise,  he  was  told 
by  John  to  confide  in  him  as  a  kind  and  loving  uncle, 
but  replied,  with  spirit  and  promptitude,  that  he  must, 
in  the  first  place,  have  his  rightful  inheritance,  the 
kingdom  of  England.  Thereupon  John  sent  him  to 
E-ouen,  with  orders  as  to  his  being  closely  guarded ; 
and  going  thither  in  the  Easter  of  1203,  the  usurper 
is  reported  to  have  then  perpetrated  that  foul  crime 
which  has  rendered  his  name  infamous. 

The  tyrant  having  one  day,  at  dinner,  drunk  freely, 
and  lashed  himself  into  fury,  went  to  his  nephew's 
prison,  and  after  a  futile  attempt  to  force  from  the  boy 
a  surrender  of  his  rights,  drew  a  sword  and  malignant- 
ly murdered  him,  tied,  with  bloody  hands,  a  heavy 
stone  about  his  neck,  and  threw  the  corpse  into  the 
Seine.  The  body,  being  afterward  cast  ashore,  was 
secretly  interred  in  the  abbey  of  Bee. 


SEIZURE    OF  NORMANDY.  53 

This  atrocious  crime  roused  general  indignation,  and 
John  was  summoned  as  a  vassal  of  France,  to  answer 
for  the  murder  before  his  peers,  the  great  barons. 
Failing  to  appear  when  thus  cited,  he  was  pronounced 
guilty,  and  condemned  to  forfeit  his  continental  domin- 
ions. This  sentence  squared  perfectly  with  Philip's 
ambitious  views.  The  desire  to  establish  his  suprem- 
acy over  the  Nomian  rulers  of  England  had  ever  been 
that  aspiring  monarch's  ruling  passion  ;  and,  infinitely 
rejoicing  at  the  opportunity  of  gratifying  it,  he  took 
up  arms  with  a  prescience  of  victory.  John  was  pass- 
ing his  hours  in  scandalous  indulgences  at  Rouen  when 
Philip  marched  into  Normandy,  and,  after  capturing 
many  towns  and  castles,  appeared  before  the  capital. 
The  tyrant,  roused  from  his  lair,  fled  to  England, 
leaving  the  inhabitants  of  Rouen  to  defend  themselves. 
After  an  eflbrt,  they  yielded  ;  and,  ere  a  year  passed, 
no  continental  soil,  beyond  his  mother's  province  of 
Guieinie,  remained  in  possession  of  the  sovereign  of 
England. 

After  a  year  or  two  had  passed,  John  plucked  up 
courage  to  land  an  army  at  Rochelle,  take  a  strong 
castle,  burn  a  town,  ravage  the  banks  of  the  Loire, 
and  sit  down  before  Nantes.  Thither  came  Philip  to 
ofl'er  battle  ;  and  John,  raising  the  siege,  advanced  to 
accept  the  challenge.  But  in  the  hour  of  trial  his 
heart  shrunk  within  liim  :  he  pretended  to  negotiate, 
and  meanwhile  stealing  away  to  England,  exhibited 
the  unwonted  spectacle  of  a  crowned  descendant  of 


54  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— FRANCE. 

Roll  the  Walker  flying  before  a  kingly  representative 
of  Hugh  Capet. 

At  this  period  was  occurring  the  religious  war 
against  the  Albigenses.  In  this  crusade,  which  was 
led  by  Simon  de  Montfort,  afterward  killed  while 
besieging  Toulouse,  Philip,  albeit  unscrupulous  about 
persecuting  Jews  and  blasphemers,  refrained  from 
taking  part,  even  though  the  work  of  extermination 
was  carried  on  by  fire  and  sword  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Church  of  Rome.  Indeed,  he  repeatedly  ven- 
tured on  resisting  the  Pope's  authority,  especially  in 
regard  to  his  third  marriage  with  Agnes  de  Meranie  : 
but  his  realm  being  laid  under  interdict,  and  his  sub- 
jects seized  with  terror,  he  was  under  the  necessity  of 
reluctantly  submitting. 

After  a  reign  of  forty  years,  during  which  he 
humbled  the  barons,  encouraged  literature,  and  em- 
bellished Paris,  Philip  died  in  1233,  leaving  a  son, 
Jjouis  YIIL,  who  only  survived  three  years.  While 
marching  on  Toulouse  against  the  unfortunate  Albi- 
genses, he  was  carried  ofl'  by  an  epidemic,  and  left  his 
son,  Louis  IX.,  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  under  the 
guardianship  of  the  widow,  Blanche  of  Castile,  a 
haughty  but  high-minded  princess,  who  educated  the 
youthful  king  with  care,  inspired  that  religious  devotion 
which  won  him  a  place  in  the  calendar  of  saints,  and 
united  him  to  Margaret  of  Provence,  whose  sister  was 
dueen  of  England  and  mother  of  the  first  Edward. 

Q,ueen  Blanche,  durmg  her  boy's  minority,  held  the 


CRUSADE   OF  ST.   LOUIS.  55 

reins  of  power  so  vigorously,  and  was  so  faithfully 
supported  by  her  devoted  admirer,  the  Count  of  Cham- 
pagne, that  the  power  of  the  feudal  barons  was  ef- 
fectually curbed.  But  in  1242  they  induced  Henry 
III.  to  enter  into  their  views ;  and  he,  landing  with 
thirty  casks  of  silver,  mustered  an  army  of  foreigners, 
and  regaled  his  fancy  with  the  hope  of  regaining  the 
provinces  his  father  had  lost.  On  the  banks  of  the 
Charente,  near  the  bridge  of  Taillebourg,  Louis  in- 
flicted on  his  adversaries  a  signal  defeat,  and  Henry 
retreated  down  the  river  to  Saintes,  before  which  town 
his  motley  force  was  so  thoroughly  beaten  that  he 
hurried  from  the  scene  of  action.  The  English,  though 
they  had  declined  to  support  this  war  by  men  or 
money,  did  not  learn  without  a  blush  of  their  king 
being  twice  defeated. 

The  crusades  had  not  hitherto  been  so  happy  in 
their  results  as  to  tempt  warriors  again  to  the  East ; 
but  Louis,  stretched  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  swore  to 
assume  the  cross  in  the  event  of  recovery,  and  per- 
formed his  vow  in  defiance  of  all  dangers.  Litrusting 
the  regency  to  his  mother,  and  receiving  the  ori- 
flamme  from  the  abbey  of  St.  Denis,  he  embarked  for 
the  Holy  Land.  On  arriving  before  Damietta  he 
leaped  into  the  sea,  sword  in  hand,  followed  by  a 
number  of  knights,  and  took  possession  of  that  Egj'ptian 
stronghold.  There  the  rise  of  the  Nile  caused  the 
Crusaders  to  delay  for  months  their  n:iarcli  on  Man- 
Bourrah,  where,  in  attempting  to  surprise  the  towai,  the 


50  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

king's  brother  was  slain  by  the  Saracens ;  and  Louis, 
after  losing  half  his  army,  while  retreating  was  taken 
by  the  enemy's  galleys,  chained  in  a  dungeon,  and 
informed  that  he  must  either  die  or  abjure  Christianity. 
There  was  still  a  glimmering  of  hope,  however ;  for 
Q,ueen  Margaret  held  Damietta  with  a  strong  garrison, 
and  she  consented  to  give  up  the  city  and  a  large  sum 
of  money  for  her  husband's  freedom.  Louis  was  thus 
restored  to  liberty,  and  lingered  in  Syria  for  several 
years.  But  his  barons  and  knights  betaking  them- 
selves home,  he  achieved  nothing  of  importance. 

At  length,  in  1253,  on  the  death  of  his  mother,  the 
king  returned  to  his  realm,  devoted  his  time  to  salutary 
reforms,  and  proved  himself  an  able  and  conscientious 
legislator.  Louis  delighted  to  administer  justice  while 
seated  under  an  oak-tree  near  his  chateau  in  the  forest 
of  Vincennes.  He  established  a  public  libraiy  in  Paris, 
and  an  hospital  for  the  bhnd  ;  while  at  the  same 
period  the  college  was  founded  by  Robert  de  Sorbon. 
But  the  attention  of  Louis  being  still  bent  toward 
Sjnria,  he  ventured  on  a  second  crusade  ;  when,  turn- 
ing aside  to  attack  the  Bey  of  Tunis,  he  landed  among 
the  ruins  of  Carthage.  There,  after  enduring  severe 
hardships  from  the  heat  of  the  climate.  Saint  Louis 
expired  on  a  bed  of  ashes  in  1270. 

Philip  III.,  his  eldest  surviving  son,  though  sur- 
named  the  Bold,  did  not  perform  any  thing  particular- 
ly memorable.  He  was  long  under  the  influence  of 
his  barber,  Pierre ;  who,  after  figuring  as  prime  min- 


COURTS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  57 

ister,  dangled  on  a  gibbet.  After  returning  on  a  litter 
from  a  disastrous  expedition  in  support  of  his  uncle, 
Charles  of  Anjou,  who  had  seized  the  croAvn  of  Sicily, 
he  closed  his  earthly  career  in  1284,  and  was  succeed- 
ed by  his  son,  Philip  IV.  The  young  king,  then  in  his 
sixteenth  year,  prosecuted  the  war  which  his  father  had 
commenced  against  Arragon ;  but  the  results  were 
unimportant.  Philip,  though  the  most  absolute  and 
extortionate  monarch  that  France  had  ever  seen,  sum- 
moned the  Third  Estate  to  the  national  assemblies, 
which  had  previously  been  composed  of  nobles  and 
clergy.  He  likewise  estabhshed  Courts  of  Parliament 
— being  judicial  assemblies,  over  which  that  of  Paris 
possessed  a  jurisdiction  by  appeal.  He  courageously 
subjected  the  clergy  to  their  share  of  the  public  bur- 
dens, and  prohibited  the  agents  of  Rome  from  levy- 
ing contributions  within  his  dominions.  The  Pope 
incautiously  excommunicated  Philip  for  these  offenses, 
and  even  transferred  the  crown  of  France  to  the 
Emperor.  "Whereupon  Philip  undauntedly  marched 
to  Rome,  and  seized  upon  the  successor  of  Peter,  who 
died  of  surprise  and  indignation.  From  the  next  Pope, 
Benedict  XL,  Philip  procured  a  bull,  warranting  the 
suppression  of  the  Order  of  the  Templars  in  all  Chris- 
tian countries.  Having  been  charged  with  horrible 
crimes,  these  warrior  monks — so  long  rich  and  power- 
ful— were  condemned  without  trial,  and  exterminated 
by  the  sword,  fire,  or  famine.  Their  property  was 
transferred  to  the  Knights  of  Malta.     In  1314  Philip 


58  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

closed  his  career,  leaviiog  three  sons  and  a  daughter, 
Isabella,  who  became  the  wife  of  the  second  Edward 
of  England. 

Louis  X.,  eldest  son  of  Philip,  was  a  prince  of  disor- 
derly life.  Disliking  his  father's  system  of  bestowing 
the  high  offices  of  state  on  men  of  obscure  origin,  he 
surrounded  himself  with  luxurious  nobles,  who  used 
their  ascendency  to  obtain  the  restoration  of  their 
ancient  privileges.  Having,  durmg  his  brief  reign, 
weakened  the  monarchy,  he  died  in  131G,  leaving 
one  daughter,  who  might  have  succeeded.  But  his 
brother  Philip,  after  grasping  the  regency,  procured 
a  decree  of  the  States-general,  excluding  females  from 
the  succession,  and  in  virtue  thereof  became  sovereign 
of  France,  with  the  prospect  of  the  kingly  dignity  be- 
ing inherited  by  his  son. 

Philip  V.  preserved  peace,  and  devoted  himself  to 
the  internal  improvements  of  the  realm.  Several  of 
his  edicts  indicate  the  progress  of  law,  order,  and 
civilization.  But  he  was  baffled  in  the  object  of 
settling  his  descendants  on  the  throne  ;  for  his  son 
dying  before  him,  four  daughters  were  excluded  by 
the  very  decree  he  had  in  his  eagerness  procured,  and 
the  sceptre  passed  to  his  brother,  Charles  IV.  That 
monarch,  after  aiding  his  sister,  the  English  queen,  to 
humble  her  husband,  also  expired  without  male  heirs 
at  the  Christmas  of  1327  ;  and  the  crown  then  re- 
verted to  Pliilip  of  Valois,  grandson  of  Philip  the  Bold. 


CHAPTER  11. 


HISTORY    OF    FRANCE. 


"With  the  accession  of  the  House  of  Valois  com- 
menced a  long  struggle  between  England  and  France ; 
not  a  series  of  mere  feuds  between  kings  for  the  sov- 
ereignty of  provinces — like  those  which  the  Norman 
rulers  of  the  Enghsh  people  had  maintained  against 
the  successors  of  Hugh  Capet — but  great  and  terrible 
wars,  waged  for  a  century  and  a  half,  by  kings 
genuinely  English  and  kings  thorouglily  French,  on 
behalf,  and  with  the  earnest  sympathies,  of  two  pow- 
erful countries,  hostilely  ambitious  of  national  superi- 
ority. 

Edward  HI.,  as  nearest  male  heir  to  his  uncles, 
who  had  last  occupied  the  French  throne,  claimed  the 
crown  as  his  by  hereditary  descent,  and  resolved,  right 
or  wrong,  to  obtain  it  by  force  of  arms.  With  this 
object,  and  having  long  before  proved  his  skill  and 
courage  against  the  Scots — already  the  allies  of  France 
— he  assembled  an  army  ;  and  after  a  signal  victory 
over  the  French  fleet,  which  lost  ninety  ships  and 
thirty  thousand  men,  he  entered  Normandy,  and 
marched  m  hostile  array  to  the  very  walls  of  Paris. 


60  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Philip  of  Valois  was  far  from  being  destitute  of  per- 
sonal courage,  but  he  was  as  far  from  possessing 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  military  art  to  cope  with 
an  antagonist  of  so  much  valor,  talent,  and  policy. 
However,  he  summoned  his  nobles,  and,  in  alliance 
A^■ith  the  old  blind  King  of  Bohemia,  assembled  a  for- 
midable force ;  which,  on  an  August  Saturday,  met 
the  embattled  host  of  England  at  the  village  of  Crecy. 
With  far  inferior  numbers  Edward  gained  a  complete 
victory ;  and  Philip,  followed  by  five  knights,  fled  to 
Abbeville.  Edward  besieged  and  took  Calais,  which 
continued  in  possession  of  England  till  the  reign  of 
"  the  bloody  Mary  ;"  and  the  capture  of  that  import- 
ant stronghold,  together  with  the  exhaustion  of  the 
French  finances,  resulted  in  a  truce,  which  lasted 
till  1350  ;  at  which  date  the  grave  closed  over  Philip, 
and  his  son  John  ascended  the  throne. 

King  John  the  Good  was  as  valiant  a  knight  as 
ever  laid  lance  in  rest,  and  as  true  a  son  of  chivalry 
as  was  ever  taught  to  serve  God  and  the  ladies,  but 
much  too  irresolute  and  improvident  to  rule  with  suc- 
cess at  a  difficult  crisis.  About  the  commencement 
of  his  reign  he  violently  seized  the  Constable  of  France, 
and  caused  him  to  be  executed  without  trial ;  and  he 
despotically  confiscated  to  his  own  use  the  debts  due 
to  the  Jews  and  Lombards  settled  in  his  kingdom. 
Edward  vowed  to  avenge  the  fate  of  the  Constable, 
who  had  been  a  prisoner  on  parole  ;  and  about  the 
same  time  Charles,  king  of  Navarre,  declared  war 


VICTORIES   OF   EDWARD   III.  Gl 

against  France.  In  order  to  raise  funds,  the  King 
convoked  the  States-general  at  Paris  in  1355;  and 
the  Third  Estate,  after  having  its  equaUty  with  the 
nobles  and  clergy  formally  recognized,  and  redressing 
grievances,  concurred  in  furnishing  the  sinews  of  war 
They  were,  indeed,  necessary  :  for  Edward,  prince 
of  Wales,  who  at  the  age  of  fifteen  had  gloriously  sig- 
nahzed  his  prowess  at  Crecy,  and  was  now  known  as 
the  Black  Prince  from  the  color  of  his  armor,  soon 
appeared  in  France  with  sixty  thousand  men  ;  and 
John,  swearing  that  he  would  give  the  young  Islander 
battle,  mustered  his  army  on  the  plain  of  Chartres, 
and  encountered  the  foe,  on  a  September  morning, 
near  the  city  of  Poictiers.  John  sustained  a  most  dis- 
astrous defeat,  and  his  army  fled  precipitately  before 
the  EngUsh  archers.  The  French  monarch  fought 
on  foot  with  a  battle-ax,  and  exhibited  singular  cour- 
age ;  but  after  receiving  two  wounds  in  the  face,  and 
being  beaten  down,  he  yielded  his  sword  and  was 
carried  by  his  youthful  conqueror  as  a  prisoner  to 
London. 

During  his  captivity,  while  famine,  pestilence,  dis- 
banded soldiers,  and  civil  war,  were  desolating  the 
sunny  fields  of  France,  there  occurred  an  insurrection, 
at  once  revolting  and  instructive.  The  condition  of 
the  rural  peasantry  had  ever  been  wretched,  and  they 
at  length  rose  in  a  mass  to  avenge  their  wrongs. 
Half-naked  serfs,  entering  feudal  castles,  killed  the 
territorial  magnates,  outraged  their  wives  and  daugh- 


62  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

ters,  forced  children  to  eat  the  flesh  of  their  parent? 
and  burned  and  phmdered  wherever  they  went.'  This 
terrible  outbreak,  which  is  known  in  histoiy  as  the 
Jacquerie — from  Jacques  Bonnehomme,  a  name  ap- 
plied in  derision  to  the  French  peasantry' — was  sup- 
pressed with  the  aid  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  whose 
mail-clad  men  slaughtered  thousands  of  the  defense- 
less insurgents. 

John,  in  1360,  signed  an  agreement,  whereby  he  ob- 
tained his  liberty  on  condition  of  paying  three  milhons 
of  golden  crowns,  while  Edward  resigned  his  preten- 
sions to  the  French  throne.  Soon  after  his  return 
home,  by  the  demise  of  Philip  de  Rouvre,  duke  of  Bur- 
giuidy,  that  important  province  reverted  to  the  crowTi, 
and,  blind  to  the  advantages  of  this  acquisition,  the 
King  bestowed  the  duchy  on  his  fourth  son,  PhiUp 
the  Bold,  and  thus  established  that  house  of  Burgundy 
whose  chiefs,  as  years  passed,  became  formidable  rivals 
to  the  sovereigns  of  France.  Incited  by  the  Pope, 
John  assumed  the  cross  at  Avignon,  and  was  on  the 
point  of  joining  a  new  crusade  undertaken  by  the  King 
of  Cyrus,  when  he  was  informed  of  his  son,  the  Duke 
of  Anjou,  who  had  been  given  as  a  hostage,  having 
broken  his  word  and  fled  from  Calais.  The  cliival- 
rous  monarch,  to  whom  is  ascribed  the  fine  maxim,  so 
rarely  practiced,  that  if  honor  were  banished  from  all 
the  rest  of  the  world  it  ought  still  to  be  found  in  the 
heart  of  sovereigns,  considered  himself  bound  to  return 
to  England,  where,  consoled  with  the  love  of  an  En- 


REVERSES    OF  THE   ENGLISH.  63 

glish  lady,  he  resided  till  his  death  in  1364.  Ho  left 
twenty  volumes,  with  which  his  successor  founded  the 
royal  library. 

Charles  V.,  who  had  already  governed  France  for 
eight  years  as  regent,  became  king  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine.  He  attached  to  his  service  several  able 
statesmen,  as  well  as  brave  captains — Du  Guesclin 
being  among  the  latter.  Thus  Charles,  who  was  one 
of  the  most  literate  men  of  his  time,  won  the  title  of 
the  Wise.  His  first  successes  were  achieved  against 
the  King  of  Navarre ;  and  he  next  aided  ill  driving 
Pedro  the  Cruel,  King  of  Castile,  into  exile.  He  then 
applied  himself  to  wrench  from  the  English  the  prov- 
inces they  held  in  France.  The  period  was  most 
propitious,  for  Edward  was  by  this  time  old,  and  the 
heroic  Black  Prince  sufi^ering  from  a  mortal  disease. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  enterprises  of  the  French 
were,  in  the  main,  successful ;  but  a  fresh  army  of 
English  had  been  sent  into  the  kingdom,  when  Charles 
suddenly  died  in  1380,  leaving  as  heir  to  the  crown 
a  boy  of  eleven  years. 

Charles  VI.  was  consigned  to  the  guardianship  of 
his  uncles,  who  agreed  that  the  office  of  regent  should 
be  held  by  the  Duke  of  Anjou.  That  prince  was  of 
so  fierce  and  covetous  a  nature,  that,  bursting  into 
the  royal  bed-chamber,  almost  before  his  brother's 
eyes  were  closed,  he  greedily  seized  upon  the  jewels, 
and  plundered  the  palace.  The  first  act  of  his  re- 
gency was  to  appropriate  to  himself  a  sum  of  sixteen 


CI  HISTORY   FOR   B£>YS.— FRANCE. 

millions,  which,  during  the  reign  of  Charles  V.,  had 
been  amassed  in  the  trejisury  ;  and  with  this  money 
he  fitted  out  an  expedition  to  seize  upon  the  throne 
of  Naples,  in  the  course  of  which  both  the  Duke  and 
his  army  perished  in  Italy.  Under  the  inspiration  of 
his  surviving  uncles,  the  young  king  was  guilty  of 
various  tyramries  ;  and  he  was  still  pursuing  a  most 
unpopular  career,  when  he  suddenly  exhibited  infal- 
lible signs  of  insanity.  The  consequences  were  dis- 
astrous ;  and  the  country  was  suffering  under  an  ac- 
cumulation of  evils,  when,  in  141-'),  Henry  V.,  who 
had  just  ascended  the  English  throne,  cast  off  his 
dissipated  habits  and  become  a  hero,  landed  near 
Harfleur,  took  that  town  after  a  siege  of  six  weeks, 
and  then,  with  an  army  which  sickness  had  dimin- 
ished to  nine  thousand,  marched  toward  Calais.  On 
the  24th  of  October,  however,  after  crossing  the 
Somme,  he  was  challenged  by  the  Constable  of 
France,  who,  with  sixty  thousand  fighting  men,  oc- 
cupied the  village  of  Agincourt ;  and  next  day  at 
noon,  having  made  all  preparations,  Henry  placed  a 
golden  crown  over  his  steel  helmet,  donned  a  surcoat, 
on  which  were  embroidered  the  arms  of  England  and 
France,  rode  along  his  lines  on  a  gray  charger,  and 
declared  his  resolution  to  conquer  or  die.  He  then 
spoke  the  words,  "  Banners,  advance  I"  and  the  En- 
glish, with  a  loud  cheer,  rushed  onward.  The  arch- 
ers did  terrible  execution  ;  the  men-at-arms  diplayed 
equal  courage ;  and,  after  a  fierce  struggle,  the  En- 


WARS   OF  HENRY   V.  65 

glish  were  completely  victorious.  They  embarked  at 
Calais,  with  much  booty  and  a  host  of  noble  captives; 
and,  two  years  later,  Henry,  returning  with  a  gallant 
army,  subdued  Normandy — and  pursuing  his  career, 
concluded,  in  1420,  the  famous  treaty  of  Troyes,  by 
which  it  was  stipulated  that  he  should  many  Cathe- 
rine, daughter  of  the  French  monarch,  and  inherit  on 
the  death  of  Charles  the  crown  of  France.  Henry's 
brother-in-law,  the  Dauphin,  reduced  to  extreme  dis- 
tress, hardly  knew  where  to  turn  for  a  dinner,  and 
wandered  from  place  to  place  about  the  southern 
provinces.  Perplexed  in  the  extreme,  he  craved  aid 
from  the  Scots,  who  readily  granted  him  the  service 
of  seven  thousand  men,  under  the  Earls  of  Buchau 
and  "Wigton.  The  Duke  of  Clarence,  Henry's  brother, 
met  the  Scots  at  Beauge,  and  the  latter,  ardent  to 
disprove  the  annoying  charge  made  by  their  French 
allies,  of  being  only  fit  to  eat  and  drink,  fought  with 
great  energy.  Clarence,  recognized  by  his  coronet  of 
gold  which  glistened  in  the  evening  sun,  was  borne 
to  the  ground  by  the  lance  of  Sir  John  Swinton,  and 
killed  by  the  mace  of  Buchan.  The  English,  seeing 
their  leader  fall,  desisted  from  the  conflict ;  and  after 
this  victory  Buchan  was  nominated  Marshal,  and 
"Wigton  Constable  of  France. 

The  King  of  England  was  at  Beverley  when  he 

heard  of  this  defeat,  and  straightway  crossed  to  France 

to  redeem  it.     In  order  to  sever  the  Scots  from  their 

allies,  he.  carried  with  him,  as  a  volunteer,  their  cap- 

E 


66  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

tive  sovereign,  James  I.,  without,  however,  deterring 
his  subjects  from  action.  Henry's  presence  changed 
the  face  of  matters ;  but,  in  the  midst  of  his  glories, 
he  was  cut  off  by  a  mysterious  malady,  and  named 
as  regent  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  Bedford — Shaks' 
peare's  Prince  John  of  Lancaster. 

Falstaff,  in  the  page  of  that  greatest  of  dramatists, 
is  made  to  pronounce  the  royal  youth  one  of  those 
demure  boys  who  never  come  to  any  proof;  but  the 
opinion  of  the  fat  knight  was  completely  falsified. 
Bedford  was  recognized  throughout  Europe  as  a 
statesman  of  ability  and  a  soldier  of  renown,  and  per- 
formed his  functions  with  valor  as  well  as  judgment. 
The  duty  became  more  arduous  on  the  death  of  the 
French  monarch,  for  Henry  VI.  of  England  was  a 
mere  infant ;  yet  Bedford  succeeded  in  attaching  to 
his  interest  the  Dukes  of  Brittany  and  Burgundy,  so 
that  when  the  Dauphin  assumed  the  title  of  Charles 
Vn.  he  was  so  contemptible  in  point  of  power  as  to 
be  called,  in  derision,  the  King  of  Berry,  from  his 
residence  at  Bourges.  Nevertheless,  Charles  was 
aided  by  fresh  troops  from  Scotland,  under  the  Earl 
of  Douglas,  an  aged  warrior,  who  had  fought  without 
success  at  Homeldon  and  Shrewsbury,  and  who  now 
tried  his  fortune  at  Verneuil.  But  the  army  that 
went  into  the  field  was  defeated  with  enormous  loss  ; 
the  cause  of  Charles  appeared  desperate ;  and  a  final 
blow  seemed  to  be  struck  when  the  Scots  were  van- 
quished before  Orleans  in  the  battle  of  Herrings. 


JOAN   OF  ARC.  67 

At  this  crisis  appeared  Joan  of  Arc,  celebrated  as 
the  Maid  of  Orleans,  who  excited  the  popular  enthu- 
siasm by  announcing  that  internal  voices  had  com- 
manded her  to  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  conduct 
the  Dauphin  to  be  crowned  at  Rheims.  Being  brought 
into  his  presence,  she  repeated  her  preternatural  man- 
date ;  and  Charles  provided  her  with  a  suit  of  armor, 
and  sent  her  to  join  his  troops.  The  French  hailed 
her  arrival  as  that  of  a  being  raised  up  by  Heaven  for 
their  deliverance  ;  while  the  English,  having  a  totally 
different  opinion  as  to  her  origin,  were  terrified  at  the 
idea  of  combating  with  an  agent  of  the  powers  of 
darkness.  Inspired  by  her  example,  the  French  sol- 
diers were  successful  in  various  enterprises.  But  be- 
ing taken  prisoner  at  the  siege  of  Compiegne,  she  was 
burned  by  her  captors  as  a  sorceress.  Her  death 
caused  a  detestation  of  the  English  rule,  which  even 
the  presence  of  young  Henry  could  not  overcome.  In 
1435  the  Regent  Bedford  departed  this  Hfe  ;  the  Duke 
of  Burgundy  seized  that  occasion  to  break  with  the 
English  ;  the  French  were  at  last  thoroughly  united  ; 
the  Dauphin  threw  off  his  indolence ;  and  Paris, 
opening  her  gates,  received  him  as  King. 

Charles  VII.  governed  with  wisdom  and  prudence, 
though  he  was  somewhat  despotic,  and  levied  supplies 
without  summoning  the  States-general,  whom  he 
feared.  Commerce  began  to  flourish  ;  agriculture  was 
carried  on  with  success ;  the  King  was  hailed  as  the 
restorer  of  order  ;  and  he  secured  the  liberties  of  the 


08  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Gallican  Church  by  promulgating  the  Pragmatic 
Sanction.  The  princes  of  the  blood,  with  Louis  the 
Dauphin,  in  1440,  raised  a  revolt,  termed  the  Pra- 
guerie,  which  was  soon  suppressed.  Internal  peace 
being  established,  Charles  succeeded  in  driving  the 
English  out  of  Normandy  and  Guienne,  and  raised  a 
standing  army  of  twenty-five  thousand  men.  The 
close  of  his  life  was  embittered  by  the  suspicions  he 
entertained  of  the  crafty  Dauphin,  who  had  sought 
refuge  at  the  court  of  Philip,  duke  of  Burgundy.  The 
King  became  possessed  v/ith  a  morbid  dread  of  being 
poisoned  by  his  son's  emissaries ;  and  at  length  re- 
fusing to  take  food,  he  died  of  hunger,  in  his  fifty- 
eighth  year. 

Louis  XL,  a  man  of  crafty  and  subtle  character, 
and  with  a  profound  knowledge  of  human  nature,  ex- 
ercised no  slight  influence  on  his  age.  Conscious  of 
the  dislike  felt  toward  him  by  the  nobles,  he  com- 
menced his  reign  with  popular  promi.ses  to  reduce  the 
taxes  and  submit  the  national  expenditure  to  the 
States-general,  which  he  never  performed.  Though 
vicious,  cruel,  and  superstitious,  Louis  was,  in  some 
respects,  an  admirable  politician.  He  encouraged 
commerce,  regulated  the  courts  of  justice,  established 
the  first  printing-press  in  Paris,  was  the  author  of 
postal  commimication,  and  restrained  the  power  of  his 
overgrown  feudatories — the  Dukes  of  Brittany  and 
Burgundy.  Francis  of  Brittany,  having  invited  Ed- 
ward IV.  of  England  to  invade  France,  was  attacked 


DEATH   OF   LOUIS    XI.  60 

and  compelled  to  submit.  Charles  of  Burgundy,  a 
rash  and  violent  man,  was  thrice  defeated  by  the 
Swiss,  whose  country  he  sought  to  subjugate,  and  fall- 
ing in  battle,  his  fief  was  seized  by  Louis  ;  but  Mary, 
daughter  and  heiress  of  the  fiery  duke,  being  the  wife 
of  Maximilian  of  Austria,  claimed  Burgundy  as  a  fief 
not  limited  to  males.  An  indecisive  battle  at  Guinne- 
gate  was  followed  by  a  treaty,  which  betrothed  the 
daughter  of  Maximilian  to  the  Dauphin.  Louis  thus 
retained  his  prize,  and  soon  after,  under  the  will  of 
King  Rene,  inherited  Provence  and  the  empty  title  of 
Sovereign  of  the  Two  Sicilies. 

As  he  grew  old,  Louis  became  nervously  apprehen- 
sive of  death.  Surrounded  by  his  Swiss  corps  and 
Scotch  guard,  and  in  the  company  of  his  barber  and 
his  gossip,  the  strange  man  hved  hidden  in  his  chateau, 
cheating  himself  into  the  belief  that  gross  superstition 
M'as  religion,  and  that  the  most  solemn  oaths  might 
be  violated  if  not  sworn  upon  a  certain  relic.  His 
wretched  life  closed  in  1483,  and  the  sceptre  passed 
to  his  son,  Charles  VIIL,  who,  after  a  turbulent 
minority,  espoused  Anne,  the  young  Duchesa  of  Brit' 
tany,  and  thus  brought  back  her  fief  to  the  crown. 
The  young  monarch  had,  like  Don  duixote,  brooded 
over  tales  of  chivalry  till  he  believed  them  to  be  real, 
and  conceived  a  burning  desire  to  emulate  the  ex- 
ploits of  Charlemagne.  With  this  view  he  thouglit 
of  conquering  Constantinople,  but  limiting  his  ambi- 
tion for  the  present  to  Naples,  he  commenced  those 


70  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS-FRANCE. 

wars  which  shook  the  foundations,  tortured  the  in- 
dustry and  diminished  the  wealth  of  the  Itahan  States. 

In  the  year  1494,  having  borrowed  money  from  the 
bankers  of  Milan  and  Genoa,  Charles,  with  an  army 
of  thirty-two  thousand  men,  and  the  best  artillery  in 
Europe,  crossed  the  Alps.  The  dismembered  state  of 
Italy  was  favorable  to  his  schemes.  Pisa  and  Flor- 
ence opened  their  gates  to  him  as  an  ally,  and  he  en- 
tered those  cities  as  a  conqueror.  Then  besieging 
Rome,  he  forced  the  Pope  to  submit,  entered  Naples 
in  triumph,  and  received  the  submission  of  all  Sicily. 
Meantime  a  league  to  check  his  progress  being  formed 
by  the  Pope  with  Spain,  Austria,  and  Venice,  Charles, 
on  being  informed  of  this  by  the  celebrated  Comines, 
sounded  a  retreat ;  his  troops  were  soon  after  driven 
north  of  the  Alps,  and  he  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight.  Leaving  no  children,  the  crown  reverted  to 
Louis,  duke  of  Orleans,  great-grandson  of  Charles  V., 
who  began  to  reign  in  1498. 

Louis  XII.  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty-six  when 
he  came  to  the  throne,  and  his  earhest  acts  were  wise 
and  beneficent.  He  behaved  with  magnanimity  to- 
ward those  who  had  been  his  enemies  in  former  days, 
declaring  that  the  wrongs  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans 
were  forgotten  by  the  King  of  France  ;  and  he  devised 
measures  to  restore  order  in  the  finances  and  adminis- 
tration. When  accused  by  the  court  of  parsimony,  he 
calmly  remarked,  that  he  would  rather  see  the  cour- 
tiers laughing  at  his  avarice  than  the  people  weeping 


PARTITION   OF   NAPLES.  71 

at  hJ3  p/ofusion  ;  and  he  was  rewarded  by  the  States- 
general  with  the  proud  and  noble  title  of  "  Father  of 
his  people." 

In  his  foreign  policy,  this  king  was  less  worthy  of 
eulogy.  In  order  to  attach  Brittany  to  the  crown,  he 
procured  a  divorce  from  the  deformed  daughter  of 
the  crafty  Louis  XL,  and  espoused  Anne,  duchess  of 
Brittany,  who,  on  the  decease  of  her  husband,  Charles, 
had  returned  into  her  province,  and  hastened  to  exer- 
cise acts  of  sovereignty.  Ambitious  of  increasing  his 
territory,  he  applied  himself  with  eagerness  to  the 
conquest  of  Naples.  Having  secured  the  support  of 
Pope  Alexander,  and  crossed  the  Alps,  he  took  Milan 
and  Genoa  ;  when,  apprehensive  of  the  interference  of 
Spain,  he  invited  Ferdinand  to  a  partition  of  Naples, 
and  that  politic  sovereign  dispatched  to  his  assistance 
the  renowned  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova,  the  conqueror  of 
Grenada,  who  introduced  the  Spaniards  into  the  prin- 
cipal fortresses.  But  this  alliance  was  of  brief  dura- 
tion ;  for  the  French  and  Spaniards  quarreling,  Cor- 
dova defeated  the  heroic  Chevalier  Bayard,  and  de- 
prived Louis  of  his  division  of  Naples. 

About  this  period,  the  death  of  Pope  Alexander, 
closely  followed  by  his  son,  Caesar  Borgia — men  whose 
names  are  associated  with  countless  crimes — deprived 
Louis  of  his  most  powerful  ally  ;  but,  in  spite  of  all 
reverses,  his  eyes  were  still  turned  toward  Italy, 
when  Genoa,  offended  at  tlie  haughty  bearing  of  her 
foreign  masters,  rose  in  revolt  and  expelled  tlie  French. 


72  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Louis  vowing  vengeance,  appeared  in  1507  under  her 
walls,  entered  the  gates  sword  in  hand,  hanged  several 
of  the  citizens,  and  inflicted  on  the  republic  a  ruinous 
fine. 

;  The  martial  Pope  Julius,  in  1508,  projected  the 
League  of  Cambray,  which  Avas  entered  into  by  the 
Kings  of  France,  Spain,  and  Hungary,  for  the  de- 
struction of  Venice,  and  a  division  of  the  territories  of 
that  wealthy  and  high-flying  republic.  The  French 
thereupon  marched  against  the  devoted  city,  gained 
a  victory  at  AgnadeUo  ;  and  Venice  was  on  the  verge 
of  annihilation,  when  the  Pope,  who  had  used  his  allies 
merely  to  render  his  sway  universal  in  Italy,  formed 
the  Holy  League  with  the  Venetians,  the  Swiss,  and 
the  Kings  of  Spain  and  England,  against  the  French. 
Their  united  forces  attacked  the  army  of  Louis,  which 
under  his  brave  and  impetuous  nephew,  Gaston  de 
Foix,  won  several  victories.  But  the  young  hero, 
perishing  in  his  fame  at  Ravenna,  Louis  was  under  the 
necessity  of  abandoning  Italy.  Genoa  revolted.  Fer- 
dinand of  Spain  not  only  conquered  Navarre,  but 
formed,  along  with  Henry  of  England,  the  Pope,  and 
the  Emperor  Maximilian,  the  League  of  Mahns.  After 
a  struggle,  Louis  signed  a  peace  in  1514,  and  at  the 
same  time  espoused  the  Princess  Mary  of  England ; 
but  dying  on  the  1st  January,  1515,  without  male 
issue,  the  crown  went  to  his  cousin  and  son-in-law, 
Francis,  duke  of  Angouleme. 

Francis  I.,  .=o  renowned  for  his  braver)',  gallantry. 


SUBJUGATION   OF  MILAN.  T„ 

and  magnificence,  was  twenty  years  of  age  when  Iw 
assumed  the  sceptre,  and  directed  his  amhitioii  to 
the  conquest  of  Milan.  In  order  to  accomphsh  his 
object,  he  assembled  an  army  of  thirty-five  thousand 
men.  These  were  commanded  by  several  eminent 
warriors,  of  whom  the  most  accomplished  were  the 
Constable  Bourbon,  and  Bayard  the  chevalier  sans 
peur  et  sans  reprochc ;  and  they  crossed  the  Alps  by 
a  way  never  before  attempted.  The  surprise  and  cap- 
ture of  Colonna,  the  Milanese  general,  while  he  sat  at 
table,  threw  confusion  into  the  enemy's  ranks  ;  but  the 
Swiss  rushing  from  their  mountains  fiercely  attacked 
the  invaders  at  Marignano.  Brandishing  their  long 
pikes  and  ponderous  two-handed  swords,  they  rushed 
with  impetuosity  on  the  French  artillery,  and  soon 
succeeded  in  cutting  off  Francis  from  his  soldiers  ;  but 
he  fought  like  a  hero  of  romance,  and  his  troops  closing 
their  ranks,  the  Swiss  were  forced  to  retire  after  a 
bloody  contest,  during  which  twelve  thousand  of  them 
fell.  Next  day,  Francis  having  fairly  won  his  spurs, 
took  knighthood  from  the  sword  of  the  Chevalier 
Bayard,  and  tliis  decisive  victoiy  was  followed  by  the 
rapid  subjugation  of  Milan,  and  an  important  alUance 
with  the  Swiss. 

Leo  X.,  son  of  Lorenzo  de  Medici  the  Magnificent, 
now  occupied  the  papal  throne,  and  distinguished  him- 
self as  the  patron  of  art  and  literature.  With  him 
Francis  signed  a  concordat,  by  which  he  agreed  to  the 
abolition  of  the  Pratrmatic  Sanction. 


74  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS— FRANCE. 

At  this  date,  a  rival  to  the  chivah-ous  King  of  France 
arose  in  the  person  of  Charles  of  Austria,  who  on  the 
death  of  his  maternal  grandfather,  Ferdinand,  in  1516, 
ascended  the  throne  of  Spain.  The  first  transaction 
between  these  great  princes,  whose  emulation  was  to 
deluge  Europe  with  blood,  was  a  treaty  of  alliance, 
whereby  Charles  engaged  to  espouse  the  infant  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  when  she  attained  her  twelfth  year ; 
but  the  election  of  the  young  King  of  Spain  to  the 
Imperial  throne  in  opposition  to  the  claims  of  Francis, 
produced  an  immediate  change  of  relations,  and  the 
peaceful  treaty  was  utterly  disregarded. 

Francis,  whose  pride  was  deeply  wounded,  demand- 
ed the  restoration  of  Naples,  which  had  been  seized 
by  Ferdinand  ;  while  Charles,  in  retahation,  claimed 
Milan  and  the  duchy  of  Burgundy,  as  the  inheritance 
of  his  ancestress,  Mary,  the  daughter  and  heiress  of 
Charles  the  Rash.  Both  of  the  rival  monarchs  courted 
with  so  much  eagerness  the  support  of  Henry  VIII.  of 
England,  that,  in  a  spirit  of  exultation,  he  adopted  for 
motto,  "  He  whom  I  defend  is  master."  In  the  first 
instance  Heruy  manifested  an  inclination  toward  an 
alliance  with  Francis,  and  on  the  marches  of  Calais 
held  with  liim  a  series  of  conferences,  so  distinguished 
by  all  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  the  age,  that  the 
scene  was  henceforth  called  "  the  field  of  the  cloth  of 
gold." 

The  hostile  sovereigns,  in  1521,  betook  themselves 
to  action.     Francis  commenced  hostilities  by  an  attack 


STRUGGLE    WITH   THE   EMPEROR.  75 

on  the  little  kingdom  of  Navarre,  ■wliicli  was  invaded 
and  ravaged  ;  while  the  armies  of  Charles,  after  tak- 
ing Mouson  and  Tournay,  drove  the  French  out  of 
Milan.  Amid  these  operations  Pope  Leo  died,  and 
Charles  not  only  seated  Adrain  VI.  in  the  chair  of  St. 
Peter,  hut  by  tempting  Wolsey  with  the  prospect  of 
the  pontifical  tiara,  succeeded  through  the  aspiring 
cardinal  in  making  Henry  change  sides. 

At  this  critical  period,  the  indiscretion  of  Louise  of 
Savoy,  mother  of  Francis,  involved  him  in  a  most 
serious  loss.  Louise,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  weary 
of  widowhood,  became  enamored  of  the  Constable 
Bourbon,  who  was  considerably  her  junior,  and  taking 
the  initiative  in  love,  oflered  to  accompany  him  to  the 
hymeneal  altar.  Bourbon  rejected  the  proposal,  with 
a  scornful  allusion  to  the  fact  of  her  being  stricken  in 
years.  The  amorous  dame,  deeply  mortified,  vowed 
revenge,  and  prevailed  on  Francis  to  deprive  the  Con- 
stable of  his  possessions.  No  step  could  have  been 
more  imprudent.  Bourbon  entered  into  correspondence 
with  the  Emperor,  and  was  soon  at  the  head  of  the 
Imperial  troops. 

The  French  frontiers,  now  assailed  simultaneously 
by  the  English,  Spanish,  and  German  armies,  were 
successfully  defended  ;  and  in  the  presence  of  so  many 
dangers  the  gallant  spirit  of  Francis  rose  high,  and  his 
aspiration  still  pointed  to  the  sovereignty  of  Italy.  He 
therefore  dispatched  an  army  to  capture  Milan,  but 
his  troops  were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  retreating- 


76  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS— FRANCE. 

Oa  that  memorable  occasion  the  French  rearguard 
was  commanded  by  the  illustrious  Bayard,  who,  mor- 
tally wounded  by  a  shot,  ordered  himself  to  be  laid  at 
the  root  of  a  tree,  to  die  with  his  face  to  the  foe.  The 
Constable  Bourbon  receiving  intelligence  of  the  melan- 
choly event,  hastened  forward  and  expressed  his  con- 
dolence. "  It  is  not  I  who  should  be  pitied,"  exclaim- 
ed the  expiring  chevalier,  as  the  fire  within  for  a  last 
time  lighted  up  his  glazing  eye  ;  "  but  you — you, 
who  fight  against  your  country,  your  king,  and  your 
God !" 

Bourbon,  advancing,  oveiTan  Provence,  till  his  pro- 
gress was  checked  at  Marseilles,  which  after  heroical- 
ly sustaining  a  siege  of  forty  days,  was  relieved  by  the 
approach  of  Francis,  who  thence  marched  into  Italy, 
and  encamped  before  Pavia.  Francis  had  been  there 
for  three  months  when  the  Imperial  forces  approached, 
in  February  1525,  and  he  awaited  them  within  his 
lines.  At  first  the  French  artillery  played  upon  the 
Imperial  troops  with  an  efl^ect  so  deadly,  that  they 
retired  so  seek  shelter  in  a  hollow  hard  by.  The  im- 
petuous monarch,  mistaking  their  retreat  for  flight, 
charged  at  the  head  of  his  knights,  and  was  suddenly 
in  the  midst  of  the  enemy.  He  fought  with  romantic 
valor ;  but  wounded,  covered  with  blood,  and  flung 
from  his  courser,  he  gave  up  his  sword,  along  with 
Henry  d'Albret,  king  of  Navarre.  Francis,  after 
writing  to  his  mother  the  celebrated  letter  in  which, 
with  hLs  natural  elevation  of  character,  he  said,  "  Mad- 


THE   KING  TAKEN   PRISONER.  77 

am,  all  is  lost  save  honor,"  was  by  order  of  the  Em- 
peror conveyed  to  Madrid. 

And  now  Charles  had  in  his  grasp  the  only  living 
prince  who  was  daring  and  potent  enough  to  challenge 
his  supremacy  or  check  his  career  ;  and  he  seemed 
determined  to  make  the  most  of  a  circumstance  so 
advantageous.  For  a  time  he  refused  even  to  see  his 
captive  rival  ;  hut  Francis  falling  sick,  the  Emperor 
relented,  visited  him  in  prison,  and  consoled  him  with 
words  of  kindness.  The  consequence  of  their  inter- 
course was  the  treaty  of  Madrid,  by  which  Francis  re- 
gained his  liberty  on  condition  of  yielding  to  Charles 
the  duchy  of  Burgundy,  and  liis  right  of  feudal  supe- 
riority over  Flanders  and  Artois.  Francis  gave  his 
two  sons  as  hostages  ;  but  the  States  refusing  to  sanc- 
tion any  such  alienation  of  territory,  the  matter  was 
— not  without  a  loss  of  honor  on  the  King's  part — 
compromised  by  a  sum  of  money. 

Hostilities  broke  out  in  1527  with  redoubled  vio- 
lence. The  Imperialists  laid  siege  to  Rome,  and 
Bourbon  was  killed  while  placing  a  ladder  to  scale  the 
ramparts  ;  but  his  fall  was  avenged  by  the  sack  of  the 
city,  the  massacre  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  incarce- 
ration of  the  Pope.  These  occurrences  kindled  the  re- 
ligious ire  of  Henry  of  England,  who,  in  conjunction 
with  Francis,  resolved  to  liberate  the  Pontiff'  and  Italy 
from  the  Emperor's  colossal  grasp.  This  expedition 
proved  peculiarly  disastrous  ;  but  Charles  was  so  hard 
pressed  at  the  time  by  the  Lutherans  on  one  hand  and 


78  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

the  Turks  on  the  other,  that  he  moderated  his  preten- 
sions and  signed  a  treaty,  which  being  negotiated  ty 
Margaret  of  Austria  and  Louise  of  Savoy,  was  deris- 
ively described  as  "  the  Ladies'  Peace."  The  mother 
of  Francis  dying  soon  after  this  transaction,  left  a  pro- 
digious sum  of  hoarded  treasure,  a  large  portion  of 
which  he  expended  to  attract  artists  and  men  of  letters 
from  Italy,  and  thus  earned  the  reputation  of  being  the 
"  Father  and  Restorer  of  Letters." 

Europe  was  already  torn  by  the  religious  strife 
which  preceded  the  Reformation,  and  Francis  was  at 
first  undecided  which  side  to  take.  His  court  was  di- 
vided in  opinion ;  and  the  Protestant  principles  were 
supported  by  his  distinguished  sister,  the  Glueen  of 
Navarre.  But  having  still  the  conquest  of  Milan  in 
view,  and  being  reluctant,  therefore,  to  break  with  the 
supreme  Pontiff,  Francis  determined  on  adhering  to 
the  ancient  faith.  Moreover,  he  sought  a  personal  in- 
terview with  Clement  VIL  at  Marseilles  ;  and  there 
gave  a  pledge  of  his  fidelity  in  a  compact  by  which  his 
second  son,  Henry,  was  united  to  the  Pope's  niece, 
Catherine  de  Medici. 

Unfortunately  the  Reformers  of  Paris,  in  an  evil 
hour,  affixed  to  the  doors  of  the  King's  palace  a 
placard  containing  a  violent  invective  against  the 
mass.  The  haughty  spirit  of  Francis  could  not  brook 
the  insult  thus  offered  to  his  creed  as  a  Christian,  or 
to  liis  dignity  a:?  a  King,  and  resolved  to  have  his  re- 
venge.    Accordingly,  on  a  January  day,  in  1555,  when 


PERSECUTION   OF  PROTESTANTS.  79 

Henry  VIII.  was  constituting  himself  head  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  when  Ignatius  Loyola  was 
instituting  the  Society  of  the  Jesuits,  a  countless  mul- 
titude thronged  the  streets,  and  balconies,  and  house- 
tops of  the  capital,  which,  since  the  accession  of 
Francis,  had  assumed  a  new  and  improved  aspect. 
And  from  the  church  of  St.  Geraiain  there  issued  a 
procession,  headed  by  cardinals,  bishops,  and  abbots, 
before  whom  were  carried  sacred  relics,  and  behind 
whom  marched  the  King,  with  his  head  bare  and  a 
torch  in  his  hand.  Then  followed  the  Glueen,  the 
Princes  of  the  blood,  the  embassadors,  the  various 
officers  of  state,  and  two  hundred  gentlemen.  Trav- 
ersing the  city,  they  halted  in  each  of  the  six  squares, 
wliere  were  erected  altars,  on  which  the  sacrament 
was  administered  to  faithful  sons  of  Rome,  side  by 
side  with  fiery  furnaces  for  the  destruction  of  heretics. 
Six  being  selected  as  sacrifices  were,  amidst  the  curses 
and  hooting  of  the  populace,  fastened  to  an  elevated 
machine,  so  constructed  with  a  pivot  as  to  lower  the 
victim  to  the  flames,  and  then  by  raising  him  aloft 
for  a  while  to  prolong  the  tortures  by  repeated  im- 
mersions in  this  bath  of  fire.  On  that  cruel  spectacle 
Francis  gazed  with  an  idea  that  he  was  doing  God  a 
service  ;  and  then  falling  on  the  ground,  he  supplicated 
the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  his  subjects.  When  the 
ceremony  was  closed  by  the  performance  of  mass, 
there  was  served  a  banquet,  where  the  King  presiding, 
declared  his  determination  to  extirpate  heresy,  and  not 


80  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

cveu  to  spare  the  lives  of  his  own  children,  if  they 
strayed  from  the  fold  of  Rome.  Soon  after  a  royal 
edict  appeared,  proscribing  all  Protestants,  confiscating 
their  property,  and  menacing  with  death  any  of  them 
Vvho  should  print  a  book. 

Vain,  assuredly,  proved  the  prohibition  ;  for  John 
Calvin,  though  denied  a  residence  in  the  dominions  of 
Francis,  was  no  farther  away  than  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine.  While  a  mere  boy,  that  eminent  Reformer, 
who,  to  a  despotic  intellect,  added  a  natural  impatience 
of  contradiction,  had  been  presented  to  a  benefice ; 
but  while  searching  the  Scriptures,  with  reason  for  his 
guide,  he  had  arrived  at  opmions  utterly  at  variance 
with  the  doctrines  of  Rome.  Banished  from  Paris  by 
the  Doctors  of  the  Sorbonne,  Calvin  fled  to  the  vicinity 
of  Poitiers,  and  in  the  recesses  of  a  dark  cave  near  the 
little  river  Clain,  for  a  time  preached  the  Gospel. 
Compelled  at  length  to  quit  the  soil  of  France,  he 
sought  refuge  at  Basil  in  Switzerland,  celebrated  as  the 
town  where  the  art  of  making  paper  was  first  exer- 
cised, and  where  Holbein,  the  famous  painter,  first 
saw  the  light.  "While  residing  at  Basil,  Calvin  read 
the  apology  wrritten  by  Francis  to  his  alhes,  the  Luth- 
erans of  Germany,  in  which  the  Protestants  of  France 
were  represented  as  resembhng  in  their  views  the 
Anabaptists,  whom  John  of  Leyden  was  then  headmg 
at  Munster.  Calvin's  temper,  accordmg  to  his  own 
account,  was  by  no  means  celestial ;  and  on  this  occa- 
sion, with  logic  for  his  weapon,  he  indignantly  sat  down 


THE  p:mperor's  visit.  81 

with  his  characteristic  industry  to  defend  the  right. 
Ere  the  harvest-moon  was  reflected  in  the  waters  of 
Ihe  Seine,  his  "  Institution  Chretienne,"  dedicated  to 
Ihe  King  of  France,  was  pubhshed.  The  treatise  was 
l-ceeivcd  by  the  French  Protestants  as  a  text-book  ;  and 
tire  author,  soon  after  estabhshed  at  Geneva,  was  re- 
cognized as  the  apostle  of  the  Reformation  in  France. 

While  war  was  raging  between  Francis  and  the 
Emperor,  the  Dauphin  suddenly  died  from  the  efiects 
of  poison.  A  cup-bearer  being  put  to  the  rack,  named 
Charles  as  his  accomplice  ;  and  Francis  led  an  army 
of  fifty  thousand  men  to  support  the  Turkish  invasion 
of  Italy,  when  the  Pope  prevailed  on  the  belligerents 
not  only  to  consent  to  a  peace,  but  to  have  a  friendly 
meeting,  which  accordingly  took  place.  Ere  long 
Charles,  in  passing  from  Spain  to  Flanders,  visited  his 
rivals  dominions,  and  was  magnificently  entertained. 
It  appears  that  the  Emperor's  situation  was  not  quite 
pleasant ;  for  his  detention  was  so  probable,  that  the 
courtiers  mocked  and  laughed  at  their  sovereign's  re- 
spect for  the  rights  of  hospitality.  When  the  king's 
jester  heard  of  the  arrival  of  Charles  in  Provence,  that 
privileged  functionaiy  remarked  that  he  had  inscribed 
the  Emperor  on  his  tablets  in  the  list  of  fools. 

"  But  suppose,"  asked  Francis,  "  that  I  let  him  pass 
free,  what  then  ?" 
,     The  jester  looked  wise,  shook  his  head,  and  replied, 

"  In  that  case  I'll  blot  out  his  name  from  my  tablets, 
and  put  yours  in  its  stead." 
F 


82  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS— FRANCE. 

.  Francis,  however,  allowed  the  Emperor  to  depart 
in  peace,  and  the  Emperor  promised  to  invest  the 
second  son  of  his  rival  with  the  duchy  of  Milan  ;  hut 
as  he  refused  to  fulfill  the  engagement  verbally  made 
to  that  effect  with  the  Constable  Montmorency,  the 
King  of  France  renewed  the  war  with  more  than  the 
old  hatred  and  animosity.  Allying  himself  with  the 
Turks,  their  fleets  attacked  Nice,  but  were  repulsed 
by  the  Genoese  admiral,  Andrea  Doria,  whom  Francis 
had  formerly  driven  from  his  service.  Charles,  with 
an  army  of  eighty  thousand  men,  penetrated  into 
Champagne  ;  and  Henry  of  England,  equally  fickle  in 
warlike,  amatory,  and  ecclesiastical  alliances,  sent  an 
army  to  attack  Picardy.  Nevertheless,  the  French 
were  victorious  at  Cerisoles  in  Piedmont,  and  Fortune 
favored  them  against  this  double  invasion ;  for  dis- 
sension and  want  of  provision  in  the  Imperial  ranks 
made  Charles  too  glad  to  teraiinate  the  war  by  the 
treaty  signed  at  Crespy  in  1544.  Francis,  on  the 
brink  of  his  grave,  was  guilty  of  new  severities  against 
his  Protestant  subjects.  He  sent  into  Provence  the 
Baron  Ompeda,  who,  among  the  unfortunate  Vaudois, 
enacted  scenes  of  cruelty  that  threw  the  doings  of 
Montfort  into  the  shade.  Twenty-two  towns  and  vil> 
lages  were  given  to  the  flames  ;  the  timber  was  cu| 
down  ;  the  fmit-trecs  were  torn  up  by  the  root ;  anO 
the  inhabitants  slain  in  cold  blood,  or  burned  with 
their  houses. 

At  the  time,  these  atrocitie."*  were  supposed  to  bo 


RECOVERY   OF   CALAIS.  83 

committed  with  the  sanction  of  Francis,  but  when 
dying,  in  1547,  his  day-dreams  passing  away,  he  de- 
clared that  Oinpeda  had  far  exceeded  his  insti'uctions. 
Henry  II.,  eldest  surviving  son  and  heir  of  the  gallant 
but  faulty  monarch,  ascended  the  throne  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine,  and  was  soon  involved  in  a  war  with  the 
Emperor.  On  the  abdication  of  that  mighty  prince, 
however,  a  truce  for  five  years  was  agreed  to  with  his 
successor,  Philip  ;  and  the  French  people,  fatigued  and 
exhausted  with  perpetual  contests,  rejoiced  in  the  pros- 
pect of  repose. 

Vain  was  the  hope  I  A  quarrel  between  the  Pope 
and  Philip  speedily  dissipated  these  dreams.  The 
most  Christian  sovereign  of  France  was  called  to  rescue 
his  Holiness  from  the  fangs  of  the  most  Catholic  King  ; 
and  while  one  French  army,  under  the  Constable 
Montmorency,  entered  Artois  and  was  defeated  at  St. 
duentin,  another,  under  the  Duke  of  Guise,  after  in- 
vading Italy  captured  Calais,  which  had  been  in  pos- 
session of  the  English  for  more  than  two  centuries. 
A  peace,  signed  in  1559,  put  an  end  to  the  wars, 
which,  for  fourscore  years,  had  utterly  exhausted  the 
finances  of  France,  while  they  desolated  the  fruitful 
plains  and  the  wealthy  cities  of  Italy. 

The  absence  of  an  Inquisition  and  the  foreign  wars 
had  recently  saved  the  Huguenots  of  France  from  the 
persecutions  to  which  Protestants  were  subject  in 
other  countries.  Thus  many  persons  of  high  rank 
had  given  in  their  adhesion  to  the  reformed  doctrines. 


84  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

The  King,  however,  had  sworo  to  eradicate  heresy, 
when,  m  1559,  he  was  killed  in  the  pride  of  manhood 
at  a  tovmiament  by  a  wound  in  his  eye  from  the  lance 
of  Count  Montgomery,  captain  of  the  Guards. 

Francis  II.,  son  of  the  graceful,  luxurious,  and 
good-humored  monarch  thus  accidently  slain,  was  then 
a  boy  of  sixteen  ;  and  among  his  subjects  no  family 
was  more  aspiring  than  that  of  Guise,  though  its 
founder,  Claude  of  Lorraine,  had  as  recently  as  the 
reign  of  Louis  XII.,  left  his  native  district  with  a  staff" 
in  his  hand  and  one  servant  behind  him,  to  improve 
his  condition  in  a  wealthier  region.  It  w^ould  seem 
that  the  adventurous  Claude  had  taken  the  tide  of  his 
affairs  at  the  flood  which  leads  on  to  fortune  ;  and  in 
any  case  he  left  a  numerous  progeny,  who  found  it 
convenient  to  claim  for  him  a  descent  from  Charle- 
magne. Of  his  children  the  most  conspicuous  were 
Francis,  duke  of  Guise,  a  warrior  of  high  courage, 
and  as  little  troubled  with  scruples  as  fears  ;  Charles, 
cardinal  of  Lorraine,  who,  to  a  cowardly  temperament, 
united  much  prescience,  subtlety,  and  ambition  ;  and 
Mary,  who,  after  figuring  as  the  wife  of  James  V.  of 
Scotland,  had,  as  dueen-rcgent  of  that  realm,  main- 
tained for  the  interests  of  France  an  obstinate  struggle 
against  the  Protestant  Lords,  whose  iron  hands  se- 
conded the  preaching  of  Knox  in  shattering  the  an- 
cient fabric  of  svipcrstition  and  tyranny.  This  royal 
dame  was  mother  of  the  beautiful  and  unfortunate 
Mary  Stuart,  who  had  been  recognized  as  dueen  of 


CONSPIRACY   OF   AMBOISE.  85 

Scots  at  the  age  of  a  week  ;  affianced  to  Edward, 
prince  of"  Wales,  before  a  year  had  passed  over  licr 
head  ;  fought  for  at  Piidcey  while  an  infant  in  the 
cradle ;  and  removed  in  childhood  to  be  educated  at 
the  court  of  France.  The  Duke  and  the  Cardinal 
perceiving  how  their  niece  might  advance  their  ambi- 
tious vicM's,  bestowed  her  on  the  sickly  Dauphin.  On 
the  latter  becoming  king  they  propitiated  Catherine 
de  Medici  by  sacrificing  their  benefactress,  the  notori- 
ous Diana  of  Poitiers.  They  shared  the  supreme  power 
with  that  Italian  woman,  so  skillful  in  falsehood  and 
unscrupulous  in  intrigue,  and  did  whatever  their  un- 
faltering ambition  or  gross  bigotry  dictated. 

Against  this  usurpation  of  all  authority  there  was 
soon  formed  a  confederacy,  at  the  head  of  which  were 
the  Bourbon  princes — the  feeble  and  mutable  Anthony, 
who,  in  right  of  his  spouse,  was  titular  King  of  Na 
varre,  and  his  brother,  Louis  of  Conde — with  the  Ad- 
miral Coligny  and  the  Constable  Montmorency.  Theii! 
conspiracy  of  Amboise  terminated  so  fatally  for  the 
Huguenots,  that  the  waters  of  the  Loire  ran  purple 
with  Protestant  blood  ;  but  while  fresh  plots  were  be- 
ing formed  and  civil  strife  seemed  imminent,  the  poor 
young  King  was  cut  ofi'  by  a  languishing  malady. 
His  brother  Charles  succeeded  at  the  age  of  ten  ;  and 
his  mother,  Catherine  de  Medici,  assuming  the  Re- 
gency, entered  upon  the  darkest  stage  of  her  terrible 
and  mysterious  career.  At  first,  with  Italian  guile, 
she  trimmed  between  the  two  religious  parties  ;  feign- 


86  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

ed  a  desire  to  be  converted,  appointed  Anthony  of  Na- 
varre to  be  Lieutenant-general  of  France,  and  balanced 
the  princes  of  the  house  of  Bourbon  against  those  of 
the  family  of  Guise.  She  even,  by  the  Edict  of  Janu- 
ary 1562,  framed  by  the  Chancellor  I'Hopital,  granted 
the  Huguenots  permission  to  worship  outside  the  walls 
of  fortified  cities,  and  gave  them  legal  protection  against 
reproach  or  interruption. 

Anthony  of  Navarre  now  seceded  from  the  lead  of 
the  Huguenots,  and  entered  into  a  scheme  for  their 
suppression  with  the  King  of  Spain  and  the  Duke  of 
Guise.  However,  his  brother  Conde  was  a  little  more 
faithful  to  the  Protestant  cause  ;  and  the  court  favor- 
displayed,  in  spite  of  his  heresy,  toward  that  prince, 
excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Catholics  so  much,  that 
they  hastily  summoned  Guise  from  Joinville  to  Paris. 
While  traveling  through  Champagne  in  company 
with  his  brother  the  Cardinal,  the  Duke  chanced  to 
ride  near  the  village  of  Vassy,  just  as  the  church  bells 
were  ringing  and  assembling  the  Huguenots  to  their 
religious  exercises.  The  irascible  Duke  forgot  all 
about  the  Edict  of  January,  and,  sword  in  hand,  dash- 
ed into  the  congregation  with  his  armed  retinue ; 
while  the  Cardinal,  whose  heart  shrank  within  him  at 
the  thought  of  blows  and  bloodshed,  crept  behind  a 
wall  for  shelter.  The  Huguenots  attempted  to  defend 
themselves  with  stones,  and  Guise  was  wounded  in 
the  cheek.  The  attendants,  at  his  bidding,  then  slew 
sixty  Protestants,  besides  wounding  a  great  number ; 


MASSACRE  AT  VASSY.  87 

and  this  massacre,  performed  in  defiance  of  all  law, 
by  a  noljleman  who  aspired  to  the  crown,  became  the 
signal  for  a  religious  war. 

Intoxicated  with  this  taste  of  Protestant  blood, 
Guise  entered  Paris  with  the  port  and  bearing  of  a 
conqueror,  and  was  so  enthusiastically  received  by  a 
deluded  populace,  that  Catherine,  in  alarm,  invoked 
the  aid  of  the  Huguenot  chiefs,  and  implored  Conde 
to  protect  her  and  her  son — to  save  the  mother  and 
the  child.  It  was  too  late,  however,  for  Guise  carried 
ofi'the  young  king  from  Fontainebleau  ;  while  the  Con- 
stable Montmorency,  whose  Catholic  zeal,  when  stim- 
ulated by  the  recollection  of  his  ancestor  having  been 
the  first  Christian  magnate  in  France,  swallowed  up 
all  other  considerations,  advanced  into  the  suburbs  of 
Paris  at  the  head  of  his  army,  attacked  the  Huguenot 
pastors,  and  set  fire  to  their  chapels,  amidst  the  fran- 
tic yells  of  a  fanatical  multitude. 

Civil  war  having  been  thus  commenced,  both  par- 
ties had  recourse  to  ibreign  powers  for  aid.  Philip  of 
Spain,  who  had  married  the  King's  sister,  sent  troops 
to  support  Guise,  while  Conde  and  Coligny  were 
strengthened  by  Q,ueen  Ehzabeth  and  by  the  Palati- 
nate. Ere  long  the  armies  of  Conde  and  Montmorency 
were  drawn  up  in  hostile  lines  near  the  town  of  Dreux. 
Coligny  assailed  the  opposing  squadrons  so  effectually, 
that  Montmorency  was  taken.  But  while  the  Catho- 
lics were  flying  and  the  Huguenots  dispersing  in 
pursuit,  the  Duke  of  Guise,  at  the  head  of  his  fiery 


C9  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

cavalry,  charged  down  vipon  the  scattered  bands  with 
such  rapidity,  that  Conde  was  captured,  and  the 
rout  turned  into  a  victory.  Guise  then  laid  siege  to 
Orleans ;  but  while  there  he  was  killed  by  the  pistol 
of  Poltrot,  an  assassin,  who,  being  put  to  the  torture, 
in  his  excruciations  accused  Coligny  as  an  accomplice. 
The  charge  thus  made  was  unsupported  by  any  proof 
and  opposed  by  all  probability,  but  it  was  believed  by 
Henry,  the  son  and  heir  of  the  murdered  Duke,  who 
swore  to  avenge  the  deed. 

Catherine  at  this  stage  procured,  through  the  facUe 
Conde,  a  cessation  of  hostilities,  on  terms  very  far 
from  satisfactory  to  the  leading  Huguenots,  who  cer- 
tainly gained  little  by  putting  their  trust  in  princes. 
But  in  1567,  alarmed  at  preparations  for  their  de- 
struction, they  determined  to  anticipate  their  enemies. 
Their  movement  was  marvelously  sudden.  One  Sep- 
tember day,  Coligny  might  have  been  seen  in  the  dress 
of  a  husbandman  occupied  with  getting  in  his  vintage, 
and  in  forty-eight  hours  he  was  in  possession  of  fifty 
towns.  The  King,  escaping  from  Monceaux,  fled  to 
Paris,  the  cavalry  of  Conde  ever  visible  in  the  rear  of 
his  Swiss  guards.  Then  came  the  battle  on  the  plain 
of  St.  Denis,  where,  in  November  15G7,  Montmorency 
fell,  though  his  side  triumphed,  followed  by  that  of 
Jamae,  where,  on  the  16th  March,  1569,  the  young 
Duke  of  Anjou,  afterward  Henry  HI.,  but  then  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  and  counseled  by  Strozzi,  an  Italian 
soldier  of  fortune,  encountered  and  defeated  the  Hugue- 


THE   RELIGIOUS   WARS.  89 

nots.  Conde,  having  had  his  leg  broken  in  the  artion, 
was  taken  and  treacheroiisly  shot. 

The  Cathohcs  were  thus  triumphant  ;  hut  the  pious 
and  courageous  Jean  d'Albret,  widowed  Q.ueen  of  Na- 
varre— for  Anthony  had  fallen  at  Rouen — repaired 
to  the  town  of  Saintes,  and  animated  the  wreck  of  the 
Huguenot  aniiy  with  her  own  lofty  and  masculine 
spirit.  Thither  she  brought  her  son  Henry,  from  the 
fields  of  Beam,  where  he  had  spent  his  childhood. 
The  royal  boy  had  not  yet  seen  his  sixteenth  summer, 
but  his  knowledge  of  men  was  already  considerable, 
and  his  courage  of  the  highest  order.  He  was  enthu- 
siastically proclaimed  General-m-chief,  and  gallantly 
distinguished  himself  in  the  battle  of  Roche-Abeille, 
where  his  party  had  the  advantage.  But  at  Mont- 
contour  the  fortune  of  the  day  was  different,  and  the 
Huguenots  were  exposed  to  fearful  carnage.  Coligny, 
though  severely  wounded,  fought  like  a  hero ;  and 
ever  skillful  in  repairing  his  disasters,  conducted  the 
remnant  of  his  army  into  Languedoc,  where  they  were 
joined  by  the  troops  of  the  brave  Montgomery.  Thus 
sufficiently  formidable  to  demand  honorable  terms,  the 
Huguenots  marching  toward  Paris,  obtained  by  the 
treaty  of  St.  Germain  a  confirmation  of  the  privileges 
formerly  enjoyed,  and  the  possession  of  four  cities,  of 
which  Rochelle  was  the  chief 

The  order  that  for  a  time  prevailed  was  peculiarly 
grateful  to  a  people  wearied  with  a  sanguinary  strug- 
gle, that  had  not  only  desolated  both  city  and  plain, 


90  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

but  filled  the  countiy  with  fierce  predatory  bands,  di- 
lapidated its  finances,  and  destroyed  its  commerce. 
Moreover,  every  blandishment  was  lavished  on  the 
Huguenot  chiefs :  the  widowed  Q/Ueen  of  Navarre, 
with  her  son  Henry,  and  her  nephew,  the  young  Prince 
of  Conde,  were  invited  to  court ;  and  thither  with 
them,  as  sheep  to  the  slaughter,  went  the  austere  Co- 
ligny.  The  heroic  Q,ueen  of  Navarre  was  the  first 
victim.  On  the  eve  of  the  marriage  between  her  son 
and  Margaret  of  Valois,  the  beautiful  sister  of  Charles 
IX.,  and  the  most  brilliant  ornament  of  that  scandal- 
ous court,  Jean  died,  poisoned,  as  was  suspected,  by 
the  treacherous  Catherine.  Nevertheless,  the  bridal 
ceremony  was  performed  with  extraordinary  magnifi- 
cence at  Notre  Dame,  and  Coligny  appeared  as  the 
most  trusted  adviser  of  the  juvenile  King  of  France. 

And  yet  that  diabolical  day,  never  to  be  remem- 
bered without  a  shudder,  was  at  hand.  Catherine 
and  the  victor  of  Jarnac  had  resolved  upon  the  most 
horrible  violation  of  the  laws  of  God  and  man 
ever  perpetrated  under  color  of  religion — nothing  less 
than  the  extermination  of  the  Huguenots  throughout 
France  at  a  given  signal.  Charles,  unprepared  for 
Euch  atrocity,  exhibited  irresolution  ;  but  at  length,  in 
gloomy  anger,  he  consented  that  the  Huguenots  should 
perish,  on  condition  that  none  of  them  were  left  alive 
to  reproach  him  with  the  butchery  of  their  brethren. 

The  blow  once  decided  on,  the  great  point  was  to 
render  the  massacre  as  general  as  possible ;  and  with 


MASSACRE   OF  ST.   BARTHOLOMEW.  91 

this  design,  the  Huguenots  were  hired  from  all  quar- 
ters to  the  capital.  A  suhorned  ruffian  wounded  Co- 
ligny  in  the  street.  The  venerahle  Admiral  was  car- 
ried home  covered  with  blood,  and  the  preparations 
for  slaughter  were  thus  made  without  being  subjected 
to  his  practiced  eye. 

The  appointed  hour  arrived.  At  break  of  day  on| 
the  24th  of  August,  1572,  being  the  feast  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  at  a  dismal  tolling  from  the  belfry  of 
the  church  of  St.  Germain  I'Auxerrois,  which  was 
answered  from  the  Palace  of  Justice,  and  continued 
through  all  that  terrible  night,  the  Catholics,  who 
recognized  each  other  in  the  darkness  by  white  crosses 
in  their  hats  and  scarfs  on  the  left  arm,  sallied  forth 
and  began  the  work  of  murder.  Coligny  was  among 
the  earliest  victims.  A  band  of  ruffians,  led  by  Henry, 
duke  of  Guise,  surrounded  the  Admiral's  house,  and  on 
the  gates  being  opened  in  the  King's  name  they  rushed 
up  stairs  and  found  him  at  prayer.  The  brave  old 
man  was  immediately  pierced  with  several  wounds. 
Not  the  slightest  respect  was  paid  to  his  gray  hairs, 
and  his  lifeless  body  being  tossed  into  the  street  was 
trampled  under  foot  by  Guise,  who  had  remained  out- 
side. The  work  thus  begun  was  carried  on  with  all 
the  energy  of  fanaticism.  The  startled  Huguenots, 
rushing  from  their  dwellings  half-dressed,  were  mas- 
sacred by  hundreds.  Royal  dukes  and  wealthy  citizens 
were  alike  active  in  the  work  of  extermination,  which 
lasted  for  three  long  days ;   and  his  most  Christian 


92  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS— FRANCE. 

Majesty  was  observed  at  a  window  of  the  Louvre 
enjoying  the  scene,  and  firing  with  zeal  on  the  flying 
Huguenots.  He  summoned  to  his  presence  the  King 
of  Navarre  and  the  Prince  of  Conde,  teUing  them  to 
choose  between  death  and  the  mass.  Surrounded  by 
snares,  the  young  King  of  Navarre  had  hitherto  borne 
himself  with  more  than  the  wariness  of  age.  His 
equanimity  did  not,  perhaps,  desert  him  even  in  this 
moment  of  trial,  though  along  with  Conde  he  mut- 
tered an  abjuration,  which  so  calmed  the  cruel  tyrant, 
that  they  were  merely  committed  to  prison.  Charles, 
with  a  brilliant  cortege,  with  the  court  ladies  and  the 
queen's  maids  of  honor,  rode  to  Montfaucon  to  survey 
the  gibbets  erected  on  the  rising  mound  of  masonry. 
On  seeing  the  half-consumed  remains  of  the  Admiral 
he  remarked,  "  that  the  body  of  a  slain  enemy  has 
always  a  pleasant  smell,"  and  appeared  to  feel  delight 
at  the  spectacle.  In  several  of  the  provinces,  scenes 
equally  inhuman  had  been  perpetrated  ;  and  it  has 
been  computed  that  on  the  occasion  not  fewer  than 
sixty  thousand  Frenchmen  met  an  untimely  end. 

The  intelligence  of  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew was  received  in  Rome  with  enthusiastic  rejoic- 
ings. The  Pope  ordered  guns  to  be  fired  from  the  Cas- 
tle of  St.  Angelo,  a  solemn  mass  to  be  chanted  in  the 
church  of  St.  Mark,  and  a  painting  of  the  scene  to  be 
hung  in  the  Vatican.  But  in  countries  where  rehgious 
light  had  shed  its  civihzing  influence,  the  atrocious 
bloodshed  excited  horror  and   indignation.     In   En- 


DEATH   OF  CHARLES   IX.  93 

gland,  though  the  Great  Q,ueen  was  under  the  necessity 
of  temporizing,  there  was  on  the  part  of  her  subjects 
a  stern  shout  of  execration  and  defiance ;  in  the  sister 
kingdom,  the  Scots  hhished  at  the  heinous  excesses  in 
which  their  ancient  aUies  were  indulging ;  and  the 
Protestant  princes  of  Germany  took  np  arms  to  assist 
their  imperiled  brethren  in  France. 

Charles  IX.  did  not  long  survive  that  black  and 
accursed  day.  While  Rochelle,  the  stronghold  of  the 
Huguenots,  was  making  a  brave  defense,  the  remoi-se- 
ful  prince  became  a  prey  to  violent  deliriums.  The 
ghosts  of  bleeding  victims  haunted  his  couch,  and  in 
1574  a  bloody  flux  consigned  him  to  an  early  and  un- 
honored  grave. 

His  brother,  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  who  had  previous- 
ly been  elected  to  the  throne  of  Poland,  was  proclaim- 
ed King.  Until  his  arrival  Catherine  resumed  the 
regency,  and  exercised  her  brief  authority  to  order  the 
execution  of  the  Count  Montgomery,  a  cavalier  of 
Scottish  extraction,  who  having  in  other  days  slain 
the  second  Henry  while  tilting,  had  since  given  more 
mortal  offense  by  taking  part  with  the  persecuted 
Huguenots. 

Meantime,  Henry  III.,  on  receiving  intelligence  of 
his  brother's  death,  left  Poland  ;  but  lingered  so  long 
at  foreign  courts  that  he  wasted  four  months  by  the 
way,  and  on  his  arrival  found  civil  war  on  the  point 
of  breaking  out.  Henry,  though  an  agent  in  the  atro- 
city of  1572,  purchased  a  peace  with  the  Confederates 


94  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

by  delivering  into  their  hands  six  towns,  and  then 
gave  up  his  time  to  folly  and  debauchery.  He  divert- 
ed himself  with  a  number  of  pets,  in  the  shape  of 
parrots,  donkeys,  puppy  dogs,  and  women  of  scandal- 
ous reputation,  and  soon  rendered  himself  an  object  of 
scorn  and  aversion  to  his  subjects.  An  association, 
known  as  the  Holy  League,  was  formed  by  the  Cath- 
olics for  deposing  and  cloistering  the  worthless  and 
licentious  monarch,  and  placing  the  crown  on  the 
brows  of  the  Duke  of  Guise,  as  the  heir  of  Charle- 
magne. The  Duke's  friends  compared  him  to  Pepin, 
and  the  fiery  Duchess  of  Montpensier,  his  sister,  carried 
in  her  girdle  a  pair  of  golden  scissors,  with  which  she 
vowed  to  shape  the  monkish  crown  of  the  modern 
Childeric. 

Henry  bethought  him  of  taking  the  wind  out  of  the 
aspirant's  sails,  and  Avith  that  intent  assembled  the 
States-general  at  Blois.  There,  by  the  advice  of  his 
too  subtle  mother,  the  King  of  France  proclaimed 
himself  head  of  the  Holy  League,  hoping  thus  to  un- 
dermine his  great  subject's  influence. 

About  this  period  a  fresh  element  of  discord  was 
introduced  into  France.  The  King's  brother,  the  Duke 
d'Alencon,  who  had  been  a  suitor  for  the  hand  of  the 
Glueen  of  England,  expired,  a  victim  to  intemperance, 
and  Henry  of  Navarre  became  next  heir  to  the  crown, 
as  lineal  descendant  of  Robert  de  Clermont,  a  younger 
son  of  St.  Louis.  The  Leaguers,  furious  as  wounded 
bulls  at  the  prospect  of  a  Huguenot  reigning,  applied 


WARS   OF   THE   LEAGUE.  95 

to  the  Pope,  who  issued  a  bull  excommunicating  the 
King  of  Navarre,  and  declaring  him  incapable  of  occu- 
pying the  throne.  Thereupon  the  weak  and  irresolute 
sovereign  of  France  prohibited  the  profession  of  any 
other  than  the  Romish  faith,  and  the  Huguenots  flew 
to  arms.  The  King  of  Navarre,  at  their  head,  sub- 
dued several  of  the  southern  provinces,  and  at  Coutras 
was  encountered  by  Joyeuse,  a  royal  favorite,  in  whose 
ranks  were  a  multitude  of  light-hearted  gallants,  with 
gold  and  precious  metals  sparkling  on  their  armor. 
Henry  of  Navarre  could  make  no  such  glittermg  dis- 
play ;  but  he  had  the  swords  of  the  Bourbon  princes, 
his  cousins,  and  the  counsels  of  the  faithful  E.osnj'', 
who  had  sold  his  timber  and  brought  the  money  it 
realized,  through  a  thousand  perils,  to  the  great  hero 
whom  it  delighted  his  soul  to  serve.  Henry,  as  was 
his  custom,  knelt  down  with  his  troops  and  besought 
the  aid  of  Heaven.  He  then  addressed  them  in  his 
own  high  and  inspiriting  accents,  and  they  rushed 
bravely  forward,  sweeping  the  whole  of  the  royal 
army  away.  Joyeuse  himself  fell  in  the  battle,  and 
Henry  proved  not  less  humane  in  the  moment  of 
victor)^  than  he  had  been  courageous  in  the  hour  of 
danger. 

This  triumph  was  barren  of  results,  for  a  body  of 
German  auxiliaries  were  cut  off  by  the  Duke  of  Guise, 
and  the  King  of  Navarre's  troops  separated  for  want 
of  pay.  Guise,  gradually  increasing  in  power  and 
audacity,  entered  Paris  amidst  the  applause  of  thou- 


96  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

sands,  proceeded  to  the  Louvre,  and  demanded  that 
the  King  should  forthwith  undertake  a  war  of  exter- 
mination against  his  Protestant  subjects.  Henry's 
assent  did  not  satisfy  the  agitator ;  for,  the  popiilace 
rising,  threw  barricades  across  the  streets,  and  the  inso- 
lence of  CTuise  rose  to  the  utmost  height.  He  demanded 
that  the  Bourbons  should  be  disinherited,  and  that  he 
should  be  nominated  Lieutenant  of  the  Kingdom  ;  but 
he  was,  for  the  time,  baffled.  "VAliile  making  these 
demands  of  the  dueen-mother,  he  received  intelligence 
that  the  King  had  escaped,  at  full  gallop,  for  Chartres. 
"  I  am  a  dead  man,"  exclaimed  the  Duke,  on  hearing 
the  tidings  :  "the  King  has  dejjarted  for  my  destruc- 
tion." 

He  was  not  far  wrong  in  his  idea  ;  though  the 
immediate  consequence  of  Henry's  flight  was  his  re- 
fractory subject's  aggrandizement.  Guise  assumed  the 
regal  functions,  and  even  persuaded  the  fugitive  King 
to  accede  to  his  impudent  terms.  By  an  edict  Guise 
was  appointed  Generalissimo,  with  absolute  powers, 
Heniy  of  Navarre  disinherited,  and  the  heretics  given 
over  to  vengeance. 

But  the  king,  Henry  HL,  while  professing  to  do  all 
that  his  enemy  asked,  was  playing  a  deep  game.  Ho 
summoned  a  parliament  at  Blois,  and  there  all  eyes 
were  turned  toward  Guise,  who  on  his  part  hardly 
condescended  to  conceal  his  intention  of  seizing  the 
crown.  Without  thinking  of  the  Italian  subtlety 
with  which  he  had  to  contend,  he  was  assassinated 


ASSASSINATION   OF  GUISE.  9? 

by  the  King's  instructions  at  the  door  of  the  royal 
closet.  Henry  trampled  on  his  bleeding  body,  as  the 
Duke  had  formerly  trampled  on  that  of  the  brave 
Coligny  ;  and  soon  after  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  was 
put  to  death  in  prison. 

Having  been  guilty  of  these  murders,  Henry  had  not 
the  energy  to  avail  himself  of  the  advantage  bought 
so  dearly.  A  fierce  storm  was  gathering  at  Paris  ;  but, 
instead  of  marching  upon  the  capital,  he  allowed  the 
Dukes  of  Mayenne  and  Aumale  to  hasten  thither  and 
influence  the  passions  of  the  excitable  populace,  who, 
rising  in  a  mass,  clamored  savagely  for  the  extinction 
of  the  accursed  race  of  Valois.  Nor  had  they  long  to 
wait  for  that  event. 

Mayenne  was  proclaimed  Lieutenant-general  of  the 
Kingdom,  and  the  Pope  issued  a  bull  against  the 
wretched  King.  The  latter  was  safe  in  the  fair  city 
of  Tours,  but  in  extreme  perplexity  ;  for  Mayenne 
was  almost  at  the  gates,  and  as  Catherine  de  Medici 
had  gone  to  her  long  account,  he  knew  not  where  to 
turn  for  counsel.  In  this  emergency  he  allied  himself 
with  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  craved  his  advice. 
"  There  is  but  one  remedy  against  the  thunders  of 
Rome,"  answered  that  great  man,  who  in  the  midst 
of  adversity  never  held  counsel  with  despair — •'  that 
remedy  is  victory." 

The  honesty  and  frankness  of  his  new  ally  was  re- 
freshing to  Henry,  after  so  much  guile  and  deceit,  and 
the  cousin-kings  advanced  on  Paris.  But  while  en- 
G 


98  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

camped  on  the  heights  of  St.  Cloud,  a  fanatic  named 
Clement,  incited  by  the  Jesuits  and  influenced  by  the 
charms  of  the  Duchess  of  Montpensier,  gained  admis- 
sion to  the  royal  pavilion,  and  stabbed  the  King  with 
a  knife.  The  assassin  was  instantly  dispatched  by  the 
guard  ;  but  the  wound  proved  mortal,  and  the  mur- 
dered monarch  expired  in  the  arms  of  his  kinsman  of 
Navarre,  whom  he  nominated  as  his  successor. 

The  Pope,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  poM'cr,  pro- 
iiounced  the  corpse  oi  the  King  unworthy  of  Christian 
burial,  while  a  high  place  in  the  army  of  martyrs  was 
awarded  to  his  murderer.  So  unhappy  and  humiliating 
was  the  extinction  of  the  royal  line  of  Valois,  after  its 
representatives  had  swayed  the  sceptre  of  France  for 
a  period  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-one  years. 

The  condition  of  the  country  was  not  less  miserable. 
France  had  fallen  in  the  scale  of  nations  ;  her  finances 
were  dilapidated  ;  her  commerce  was  destroyed  ;  her 
fields  lay  uncultivated ;  and  the  great  body  of  her 
people  were  ignorant,  vnretched,  and  oppressed  with 
taxes  which  never  reached  the  exhausted  treasury. 


CHAPTER  III. 

HISTORY    OF    FRANCE. 

Henry  IV.  was  regarded  as  the  bravest  captain, 
the  greatest  prince,  and  the  frankest  gentleman  of  his 
age.  But  no  quahties,  however  brilhant  and  undenia- 
ble, could  set  him  on  the  throne  of  France,  to  which 
he  was  the  rightful  heir,  so  long  as  he  professed  a 
faith  opposed  to  that  of  the  people  over  whom  he  as- 
pired to  rule.  The  CathoUcs  sternly  denied  him  al- 
legiance ;  and  their  refusal  caused  rival  claimants  to 
grow  like  hydra's  heads.  Of  these  the  most  fonxiida- 
ble  was  Philip  of  Spain,  who  not  only  insisted,  iu  de- 
fiance of  the  Salic  law,  on  the  right  of  his  daughter 
to  wear  the  crown,  as  niece  to  the  three  last  monarchs 
of  France,  but  by  a  systematic  corruption  created  a 
strong  party  m  har  favor. 

Mayenne,  brother  of  the  murdered  Duke  of  Guise, 
took  the  field,  boasting  that  he  would  bring  Henry  in 
chains  to  Paris  ;  whither,  even  after  being  defeated  at 
Arques,  he  sent  three  flags  as  proofs  of  victory.  But 
while  his  misguided  partisans  in  the  capital  were  still 
intoxicated  "vvith  the  imaginary  triumph,  their  formida' 
ble  foe  suddenly  appeared  at  their  gates. 


100  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

At  length,  on  the  14th  of  March,  1590,  while 
Henry  was  besiegmg  Dreux,  Mayenne  crossed  the 
Seine,  and  the  two  armies  met  on  the  plain  of  Ivry 
for  a  decisive  conflict.  By  daybreak  on  the  following 
morning  all  was  in  readiness.  The  troops  on  both 
sides  betook  themselves  to  prayer,  and  then  Henry, 
riding  in  front  of  his  array,  told  his  soldiers,  in  case 
they  lost  sight  of  their  standards,  to  follow  the  white 
plume  on  his  crest,  which  they  would  always  find  on 
the  road  to  honor.  He  then  gave  the  signal  for  attack> 
and  charged  bravely  upon  the  foe.  The  army  of 
Mayenne  and  his  Spanish  auxiliaries  went  down,  both 
horse  and  man.  The  sixteen  thousand  Leaguers  were 
so  utterly  discomfited,  that  not  a  fourth  of  them  left 
the  ground.  The  Duke  narrowly  escaped.  Flying 
from  the  lost  field,  and  pretending  that  the  King  had 
fallen,  he  was  admitted  through  the  gate  of  Mante 
and  allowed  to  cross  the  river. 

The  victor  again  marched  on  Paris ;  but  the  siege 
was  long  and  arduous.  The  war,  in  which  England 
and  Spain  had  so  much  at  stake,  continued  to  rage 
with  fury ;  and  Henry  at  length  comprehended  that 
he  must  choose  between  his  creed  and  the  crown.  The 
hero,  whose  eye  had  glanced  with  the  triumph  of 
genius  at  Coutras,  and  whose  plume  had  waved  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fray  at  Ivry,  made  a  selection  which  is 
not  capable  of  being  successfully  defended.  At  the 
foot  of  the  altar  at  St.  Denis  he  promised  to  live  and 
die  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and,  in  spite 


HENRY  IV.  101 

of  the  rancorous  enmity  of  the  League,  Paris  was  de- 
livered to  his  troops.'    ]',^-',''\    ' 

Henry's  position  Wa^'  iteVertheless  the  reverse  of 
agreeable ;  for  hU  abjuration  c-f  the  llcfcirn^'ed  doctrines 
had  partially  ofiended  tlie  Huguenots,  without  wholly 
conciliating  the  Catholics.  He  therefore  entered  into 
a  negotiation  with  the  Pope,  which  resulted  in  his 
being  acknowledged  King  of  France  ;  and  he  convoked 
an  assembly  of  notables  at  Rouen,  to  receive  their 
counsels  in  regard  to  the  war  with  Spain.  The  nota« 
bias,  however,  did  nothing ;  and  the  King  remained 
inactive,  till  the  surprise  of  Amiens  roused  him  to 
energy.  With  the  aid  of  Rosny,  now  Duke  of  Sully, 
he  collected  an  army,  with  which  he  speedily  retook 
Amiens,  and  made  Philip  fain  to  sign  a  peace  at 
Vervins,  in  1598. 

Freed  from  the  anxieties  of  a  foreign  war,  Henry, 
in  1598,  promulgated  the  famous  Edict  of  Nantes, 
which  not  only  guaranteed  the  existing  rights  of  the 
Huguenots,  but  insured  them  the  free  exercise  of  wor- 
ship, and  admission  to  all  public  employments. 

With  all  his  high  qualities,  this  great  monarch  was, 
like  all  the  Bourbons,  the  slave  of  degrading  passior.s. 
His  hereditary  tendency  to  profligate  amours  was  a 
source  of  perpetual  annoyance  to  his  favorite  minister. 
Sully,  and  even  the  cause  of  dangerous  conspiracies. 
However,  his  administration  was,  on  the  whole,  con- 
ducted with  so  sincere  a  regard  for  the  interests  of  his 
subjects,  that  a  miraculous  change  was  effected  in  the 


102  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— FRA^CE. 

condition  of  France.  Henry  declared,  that  if  he  hved, 
there  should  })e-no  pegis^ntir  the  kingdom  who  could 
not  afford  to  eat  meat  every  week-day,  and  to  put  a 
fowl  inici  birtf^Dt  ^\eiy  ."Sunday.  By  a  wise  course  of 
policy,  economy,  and  vigilance,  he  not  only  dragged 
back  France  from  the  brink  of  bankruptcy,  but  raised 
her  to  an  unprecedented  condition  of  material  pros- 
perity ;  and  so  apparent  was  the  improvement,  that 
foreigners,  on  visiting  the  capital,  could  hardly  recog- 
nize the  place  where  they  had  formerly  seen  much 
woe  and  wretchedness. 

In  the  mean  time,  so  far  from  being  inattentive  to 
European  affairs,  while  clearly  perceiving  the  station 
France  should  occupy,  he  meditated  the  project  of  a 
perpetual  peace  among  the  various  states ;  but  was 
suddenly  assassinated,  while  revolving  his  mighty 
schemes. 

He  had  at  the  time  declared  war  against  Spain  and 
Austria,  and  was  on  the  point  of  setting  forth  to  take 
the  command.  Impatience  to  find  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  army  had  so  agitated  liis  spirits,  that  he  was 
saddened  by  mournful  presentiments  ;  and  on  the  14th 
of  May,  1610,  the  exempt  of  his  guard,  whose  presence 
he  had  commanded,  suggested  that  an  airing  might 
be  beneficial.  Henry  agreed,  and  ordered  his  coach, 
that  he  might  call  on  the  Duke  of  Sully.  The  coach 
issued  from  the  Louvre,  attended  by  a  few  gentle- 
men and  runners,  and  the  weather  being  fine  the 
equipage  was  open  on  all  sides.     On  turning  a  comer, 


REGENCY   OF   MARY   DE   MEDICI.  103 

the  royal  equipage  was  stopped  by  a  wine-dray  and  a 
hay-cart.  Then  au  enthusiast,  named  Ravaillac, 
availing  himself  of  the  momentary  dispersion  of  the 
attendants,  and  climbing  on  the  wheel,  twice  stabbed 
the  King,  who  died  instantly. 

Henry  had  previously  been  separated  from  his  first 
queen,  Margaret  of  Valois,  a  woman  of  dissolute  mor- 
als, and  united  to  Mary  de  Medici,  daughter  of  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany.  On  liis  death,  their  son, 
Louis  XIII.,  was  proclaimed  King,  and  his  mother 
became  Regent.  Mary  was  of  an  imperious  and  rest- 
less temper,  and  she  now  offended  the  nobility  by  the 
exaltation  of  Concini — an  Italian  adventurer — to  the 
highest  honors. 

Enraged  at  this  foreign  influence,  the  princes  of 
the  blood  withdrew  from  court.  SuUy  retired  to  his 
estates  ;  all  was  confusion  ;  and  then  was  fulfilled  the 
prophetic  saying  of  Henry,  "  Men  will  know  my  value 
when  I  am  gone." 

In  1614,  when  Louis  was  in  his  fourteenth  year, 
the  Glueen-regent  convoked  the  States-general :  but 
that  body  was  so  much  divided,  that  they  dissolved 
without  doing  any  thing.  Indeed,  so  humble  was 
still  the  position  of  the  Third  Estate,  that  the  Mayor 
of  Paris,  its  president,  was  only  permitted  to  address 
the  King  on  his  knees.  He  was  rebuked  for  compar- 
ing the  three  orders  to  one  family ;  but  when  the 
States  next  met,  in  1789,  the  relative  importance  of 
their  constituent  parts  was  considerably  altered. 


104  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.-FRANCE. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  the  youthful  monarch  wa?, 
in  violent  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  Condt',  who 
headed  the  malcontent  nohles,  united  to  the  Infanta 
of  Spain,  celebrated  as  Anne  of  Austria  ;  and  he  soon 
after  freed  himself  from  tutelage,  by  causing  Concini 
to  be  shot  as  he  was  entering  the  Louvre,  and  banish- 
ing the  dueen-dowager  to  Blois.  It  was  then  that 
Richelieu  appeared  prominently  on  the  stage  where 
he  was  henceforth  to  play  so  mighty  a  part.  Born 
about  the  time  when  Henry  of  Navarre  became  heir 
to  the  crown,  of  an  old  provincial  family,  and  trained 
to  the  profession  of  arms,  he  had,  nevertheless,  been 
appointed  Bishop  of  Lucon,  and  apjieared  in  that  ca- 
pacity in  the  States-general.  There  he  had  been 
conspicuous  among  the  clergy,  and  in  his  impressive 
address,  had  exhorted  the  boy-king  to  follow  the  coun- 
sels of  his  mother.  Subsequently  he  had  been  a  min- 
ister under  Concini ;  and  now,  following  Mary  de 
Medici  into  exile,  he  distinguished  himself  by  effect- 
ing a  reconciliation  between  the  mother  and  the  son. 
Of  that  timely  service,  a  cardinal's  hat  was  the  re- 
ward ;  and  the  skillful  politician,  admitted  into  the 
council-chamber,  speedily  acquired  such  a  sway  over 
the  mind  of  Louis,  that  his  services  could  not  be  dis- 
pensed with.  Richelieu  soon  changed  the  face  of  af- 
fairs, repressed  the  power  of  the  nobles,  foiled  the  ef- 
forts of  the  Huguenots  to  form  a  republic  with  Ro- 
chelle  for  its  capital,  and  contracted  the  King's  eldest 
eister  with  Charles  I.  of  England. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   RICHELIEU.  105 

The  ascendency  of  Richelieu  created  jealousy.  The 
two  queens,  and  Gaston  of  Orleans,  the  King's  broth- 
er, formed  a  combination  for  his  downfall ;  but  the 
defeat  of  every  attempt  to  that  end  only  served  to  in- 
crease his  power.  i 

E-ochelle,  the  stronghold  of  the  Huguenots,  was  the 
scene  of  ever-recurring  plots  ;  but  Richelieu,  resolving 
that  it  should  be  so  no  longer,  seized  a  favorable  occa- 
sion, and  marched  against  it  in  person.  The  inhab- 
itants, enthusiastic  for  civil  and  religious  freedom, 
made  a  stout  resistance,  but  in  vain.  After  holding 
out  for  a  year  they  were  compelled  to  surrender,  and 
resign  their  municipal  privileges,  though  retaining 
freedom  of  worship. 

The  genius  of  Richelieu  was  displayed  as  well  in 
foreign  as  in  domestic  affairs.  He  assailed  the  power 
of  Austria  all  over  Europe,  and  Louis  perceived  the 
expediency  of  supporting  so  able,  though  unscrupulous 
a  minister.  Mary  de  Medici,  however,  now  regarded 
him  with  a  perfect  hatred ;  and  at  one  period,  when 
her  son  was  suflering  from  sickness,  procured  the  Car- 
dinal's dismissal.  But  Richelieu  went  to  Versailles — 
then  a  simple  hunting-seat — and  vindicated  his  policy 
to  the  King  with  so  much  success,  that  he  was  re- 
tained at  the  helm  of  affairs,  and  again  appeared  as 
first  minister,  while  his  enemies  were  yet  triumphing 
in  his  overthrow.  The  occasion  is  celebrated  in  his- 
tory as  "  The  Day  of  Dupes." 

Richelieu  signalized  the  renewal  of  his  lease  of 


106  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.-FRANCE. 

power  by  an  act  of  daring  intrepidity.  He  seized  tlie 
Marshal  Marillac,  at  the  head  of  the  army,  and,  by  a 
lawless  stretch  of  authority,  had  him  put  to  death ; 
and,  besides,  banished  Mary  of  Medici  from  court. 
She  died  in  poverty  at  Cologne,  ten  years  later,  hav- 
ing endured  many  mortifications.  Her  son  Gaston 
still  continued  to  conspire,  but  he  had  neither  head 
nor  heart  to  contend  with  such  a  statesman  as  Riche- 
lieu. 

At  length  there  occurred  an  event  replete  with  in- 
terest and  importance.  On  the  5th  of  September, 
1638,  Anne  of  Austria  became  mother  of  a  son,  des- 
tined, as  Louis  XIV.,  to  raise  the  French  monarchy 
to  its  highest  point  of  grandeur,  to  involve  Europe  in 
terrible  wars,  to  bribe  alike  the  kings  and  patriots  of 
England  to  his  purposes,  to  overrun  the  provinces  of 
Holland,  and  to  seize  upon  the  crown  of  Spain. 

War  still  raged  fiercely  ;  and  on  aU  sides  the  policy 
of  Richeheu  was  triumphant.  His  declared  enemies 
were  in  prison  or  in  exile.  A  strong  will,  and  immu- 
table purpose,  had  placed  king,  clergy,  nobihty,  and 
parliaments  at  his  feet.  Cinq  Mars,  Master  of  the 
Horse,  in  1642  made  an  effort  to  restore  the  King's 
authority ;  but  his  plot  was  discovered ;  the  young 
nobleman  was  executed,  and  the  Cardinal  undertook 
a  triumphal  progress  through  France,  with  a  pride, 
pomp,  and  circumstance,  far  exceeding  those  of  roy- 
alty. 

There  is  one  enemy,  however,  which  neither  kings 


WARS   OF  THE   FRONDE.  107 

nor  cardinals  can  evade  ;  and,  in  the  midst  of  his  ex- 
ultation, Death  carried  Richelieu  to  the  tomb.  Louis 
followed  in  1643  ;  and  the  crown  was  placed  on  the 
brow  of  his  son,  a  boy  of  five  years  old. 

Louis  XIV.  was,  during  a  long  minority,  represent- 
ed by  his  mother,  Anne  of  Austria,  who  in  her  capac- 
ity as  regent,  selected  for  minister  Cardinal  Mazarin, 
an  Italian  of  craft  and  courage,  but  distasteful  to  the 
nation  as  a  foreigner.  The  nobles  whom  Richelieu 
had  exiled,  on  their  return  complained  that  the  Glueen, 
who  had  formerly  been  a  fellow-suflerer,  failed  to  mark 
her  appreciation  of  their  claims,  and  leagued  them- 
selves against  Mazarin  ;  but  their  efforts  were  for  the 
time  unavailing. 

Meanwhile,  Louis  of  Bourbon,  renowned  as  "  the 
Great  Conde,"  had  won  a  brilliant  victory  over  the 
Spaniards  at  Rocroy,  utterly  routing  that  cavalry 
which,  since  the  days  of  Charles  V.,  had  been  consid- 
ered invincible.  Conde,  who  was  only  twenty-two, 
along  with  Turenne  followed  up  his  triumph  by  other 
feats  equally  distinguished  ;  till,  in  1648,  the  Peace  of 
Westphalia  put  an  end  to  the  Thirty  Years'  War. 

At  that  period  France  was  the  scene  of  the  in- 
ternal commotions  known  as  the  Wars  of  the  Fronde, 
which  terminated  in  the  triumph  of  Mazarin.  Conde 
had,  during  their  continuance,  flung  himself  into  the 
arms  of  the  Spaniards  ;  and,  taking  advantage  of  the 
civil  dissensions,  the  latter  advanced  in  hostile  array 
under  his  guidance.     But  their  march  was  arrested  by 


103  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Tureiine,  who,  in  a  series  of  military  operations,  memor- 
able for  the  talents  of  the  rival  commanders,  maintained 
the  honor  of  France.  Thus  it  happened  that  the  first 
campaign  in  which  Louis  XIV.  took  part  -was  against 
Conde  in  Picardy,  under  the  auspices  of  Turenne. 
The  Peace  of  the  Pyrenees  ended  the  struggle  ;  Conde 
was  restored  to  favor,  and  Louis  espoused  the  Infanta, 
who  renounced  in  her  name,  and  in  that  of  her  poster- 
ity, all  claim  to  the  Spanish  succession.  Soon  after 
these  transactions  Mazarin  died ;  and  Louis,  though 
he  had  been  previously  kept  in  ignorance  of  public 
afiairs,  speedily  proved  himself  a  consummate  master 
of  kingcraft.  Inordinately  ambitious,  and  fond  to  ex- 
cess of  adulation,  he  entered  on  his  chequered  career 
with  vigor  and  energy.  Acting  on  the  advice  of 
Mazarin,  he  resolved  to  govern  without  a  prime  minis- 
ter ;  and  the  finances,  which  had  been  in  great  dis- 
order since  the  death  of  Henry  IV.,  were  regulated 
by  the  celebrated  Colbert,  son  of  a  merchant  at 
Rheims  ;  while  the  war  department  was  presided  over 
by  Louvois. 

Under  pretext  that  Spain  had  failed  to  pay  the 
dowry  of  his  queen,  Louis  took  several  fortified  towns 
in  Flanders  ;  but  his  expedition  was  checked  by  the 
Triple  Alliance,  and  terminated  by  the  Treaty  of  Aix- 
la-Chapelle.  Yet  such  was  his  passion  for  self-aggran- 
dizement that,  after  having  concluded  a  commercial 
treaty  with  Holland  in  1C67,  the  dispute  between  the 
Stadtholder  and  the  De  Wits  tempted  him  to  undertake 


CAREER  OF  LOUIS   XIV.  109 

the  conquest  of  that  country.  He  overran  the  prov- 
inces to  the  very  gates  of  Amsterdam  ;  but,  reduced  to 
a  state  of  desperation,  the  Dutch  bored  their  dykes,  let 
in  the  ocean,  inundated  the  land,  and  compelled  the 
French  to  retreat.  De  Ruyter  maintained  the  honor 
of  the  Dutch  flag  at  sea  ;  and  William  of  Orange  suc- 
cessfully resisted  the  efibrts  of  the  great  Conde.  The 
other  European  powers  became  jealous  of  the  French 
monarch's  ambitious  movements,  and  Louis  saw  rea- 
son to  consent  to  an  advantageous  peace  at  Nime- 
guen,  in  1678. 

Europe,  nevertheless,  quailed  heforc  the  power  of 
Louis ;  and  in  France  his  word  was  above  all  law. 
The  monarchy  of  the  houses  of  Valois  and  Bourbon 
was  at  the  height  of  its  splendor  ;  and  yet  there  were 
men  who,  in  religious  belief,  dared  to  difier  from  its 
most  magnificent  representative.  Louis,  who  had 
always  regarded  the  Huguenots  with  dislike,  indig- 
nant at  their  contumacy,  and  urged  by  his  spouse, 
Madame  Maintenon,  and  his  confessor,  Pere  la  Chaise, 
issued  in  1685  an  ordinance,  which  repealed  the  Edict 
of  Nantes.  By  that  impolitic  measure  France  lost 
five  hundred  thousand  of  her  most  industrious  sub- 
jects, who  were  received  with  open  arms  in  other 
states. 

At  this  period,  "William  of  Orange,  who  entertained 
toward  Louis  a  mortal  antipathy,  projected  a  formi- 
dable league  to  curb  his  power.  Nevertheless,  the 
French  arms  were  still  victorious.     Noailles  triumph- 


110  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

ed  in  Spain ;  a  French  army  ravaged  the  Palatinate ; 
and  Wilham,  though  by  this  time  King  of  England, 
was  defeated  by  the  great  Luxembourg  in  the  battle 
of  Steenkirk.  But  Louis  was  no  longer  the  man  pro- 
nounced by  Mazarin  as  having  stuff  enough  in  him 
for  four  kings.  His  health  had  broken  down ;  Col- 
bert was  no  more ;  and  the  finances  were  in  disorder. 
Peace  was,  therefore,  necessaiy ;  and,  in  1697,  it  was 
concluded  at  Ryswick.  Restitution  of  various  con- 
quests was  made  to  Spain,  Lorraine  was  restored  to 
its  duke,  and  William  of  Orange  was  acknowledged 
as  King  of  England. 

Tranquillity  now  prevailed  for  two  years,  but  the 
death  of  Charles  IL  of  Spain  was  the  signal  for  new 
wars.  That  feeble  sovereign  had  left  no  issue,  but 
named  as  his  heir  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  grandson  of 
Louis.  The  Grand  Monarch  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  of  placing  so  brilliant  a  crown  on  the  head 
of  his  descendant,  and  not  only  accepted  it  in  viola- 
tion of  the  treaty  of  the  Pyrenees,  but,  on  the  decease 
of  the  banished  King  of  England,  proclaimed  the 
Chevalier  as  James  IIL,  in  violation  of  the  treaty  of 
Ryswick. 

England,  unable  to  forgive  two  such  breaches  of 
faith  in  one  man,  combined  with  the  house  of  Au.s- 
tria,  and  prepared  for  hostilities.  On  the  eve  of  war 
William  died  ;  but  France  found  a  foe  far  mightier 
in  John  Churchill,  the  illustrious  Marlborough.  The 
struggle  was   fierce      Li  Spain,  the   country  whose 


THE   MISSISSIPPI   SCHEME.  Ill 

crown  had  occasioned  the  war,  the  French,  led  by 
Vendome,  were  finally  victorious ;  but  in  all  other 
quarters  the  armies  of  Louis  had  been  worsted.  The 
old  King  was  compelled  to  humble  himself  before 
such  disasters,  and  in  1713  was  signed  the  Treaty  of 
Utrecht,  which  stipulated  that  the  Bourbon  king  of 
Spain  should  renounce  all  eventual  claim  to  the  throne 
of  France,  and  that  his  brother  should  formally  ex- 
clude himself  and  his  heirs  from  the  Spanish  succes- 
sion. Two  years  later,  at  Versailles,  which  he  had 
converted  into  a  magnificent  palace,  Louis  expired,  on 
the  1st  of  September,  1715,  after  the  unprecedentedly 
long  reign  of  seventy-two  years. 

Louis  XV.  was  a  child  when  proclaimed  king  of  a 
wretched  and  starving  people,  and  Philip  of  Orleans, 
a  man  of  scandalous  repute,  became  regent  of  the 
kingdom.  Philip's  aspirations  were,  in  spite  of  noc- 
turnal orgies,  somewhat  ambitious,  and  he  fell  upon 
impolitic  means  for  raising  a  revenue.  Thus  he  patron- 
ized Law,  a  Scotchman,  who  projected  the  Mississippi" 
Scheme,  and  who,  after  receiving  the  homage  of  all 
Europe — after  being  almost  worshiped — stole  out  of 
France  when  the  bubble  burst,  and  closed  his  career 
ni  indigence  among  the  gaming-tables  of  Venice. 

In  1723  Louis  was  declared  of  age  by  the  Parlia- 
ment, and  affianced  to  the  Lifanta  of  Spain,  who  ar- 
rived at  the  court  of  Versailles.  But  Orleans  dying 
soon  after,  and  the  Duke  of  Bourbon  succeeding  as 
prime  minister,  the  match  was  broken  ofl",  the  Infanta 


112  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS— FRANCE. 

unceremoniously  sent  back  to  her  father,  and  replaced 
by  a  daughter  of  Staiiislaus,  the  uncrowned  King  of 
Poland. 

The  affront  was  so  acutely  felt  in  Spain,  that  Philip 
entered  into  a  close  alliance  with  Austria ;  and  En- 
gland, alarmed  at  such  a  conjunction,  sided  with 
France,  and  the  Treaty  of  Hanover  was  signed  in 
1725.  In  172G  Louis  dismissed  Bourbon,  and  re- 
solved to  rule  alone  ;  but  he  admitted  to  his  council 
Cardinal  Fleury,  his  old  preceptor,  who  directed  his 
efforts  to  the  maintenance  of  peace,  and  cflccted  a 
recoucihation  with  Spain. 

The  death  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  in  1732,  threw 
Europe  into  a  war,  which  was  continued  on  the  de- 
mise of  the  Emperor  Charles,  though  Louis  seems  to 
have  been  too  deeply  engrossed  by  his  sinful  pleasures 
to  care  much  for  such  matters.  At  the  beginning  of 
his  reign  he  had  been  particularly  popular,  but  the 
favor  he  had  enjoyed  rested  on  no  sure  foundation, 
and  he  dissipated  it  by  a  profligate  career.  When 
Voltaire  was  scoffing  at  all  divine  institutions,  and 
when  Rousseau  was  protesting  against  the  finida- 
mental  {)rinciples  of  society,  Louis,  sunk  in  luxury 
and  licentiousness,  was  indulging  in  the  ignoble  con- 
volatiou  that  the  throne  would  last  his  time. 

In  1757,  a  war,  which  had  been  long  threatening, 
broke  out  between  France  and  England  respecting 
territorial  possessions  in  America.  Peace  was  not  re- 
stored till  after  the  accession  of  George  III.,  whoso 


ACCESSION   OF   LOUIS   XVI.  113 

afiairs  were  then  administered  by  John  Stuart,  carl 
of  Bute. 

Madame  Pompadour,  the  King's  female  favorite, 
died  in  1765,  and  was  succeeded  in  his  affections  by 
another  disreputable  woman,  who,  receiving  from  he/ 
royal  lover  the  title  of  Countess  of  Barri,  hencefortl 
exercised  sovereign  sway.  Louis  shamelessly  pursued 
his  debaucheries  till  1774,  when  he  was  carried  off 
by  small-pox,  hurriedly  interred  at  St.  Denis,  and  suc- 
ceeded on  the  throne  by  his  young,  awkward,  and  in- 
experienced grandson. 

Louis  XVI.,  doomed  to  atone  for  the  offenses  of 
several  generations,  began  to  reign  at  the  age  of 
twenty.  His  father,  the  Dauphin,  a  prince  whose 
morahty  and  rectitude  estranged  him  from  the  disso- 
lute court,  had  died  in  1765,  leaving  three  sons,  suc- 
cessively sovereigns  of  France ;  and  the  eldest  thus 
becoming  heir-apparent  to  his  grandfather's  throne, 
was  imited,  in  1770,  to  Marie  Antoinette,  the  ill-fated 
daughter  of  the  German  Emperor  and  his  distin- 
guished spouse,  Maria  Theresa.  The  Austrian  prin- 
cess was  received  by  the  French  people  with  great 
joy,  and  in  personal  appearance  was  confessed  to  be 
singularly  captivating.  "  How  beautiful  is  our  Dau- 
phiness  I"  was  the  general  exclamation ;  and,  "Surely 
never  lighted  on  this  orb,  which  she  hardly  seemed  to 
touch,  a  more  delightful  vision,"  wrote  Burke,  sixteen 
years  after  he  had  seen  her  at  Versailles,  "just  above 
the  horizon,  decoratmg  and  cheering  the  elevated 
H 


114  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

sphere  she  had  just  begun  to  move  in  ;  glittering  like 
the  morning  star,  full  of  life,  and  splendor,  and  joy." 

With  all  her  personal  influence  and  energy,  the 
lyoung  Glueen  was  not  gifted  with  any  excess  of  pru- 
,dence ;  and  her  husband,  besides  being  utterly  inex- 
perienced in  aflairs  of  state,  was  deficient  in  decision 
of  character  and  knowledge  of  mankind.  He  com- 
menced his  errors  by  selecting  as  minister  the  aged 
Maurepas,  who  had  been  driven  from  office  in  the 
previous  reign  for  satirizing  Madame  Pompadour,  and 
who  was  fully  fifty  years  behind  the  age.  Maurepas 
soon  acquired  a  complete  sway  over  the  King's  mind, 
and  persuaded  him  to  recall  the  old  Parliaments, 
which  had  been  suppressed  by  Louis  XV.  This  con- 
cession was  the  earliest  victory  gained  by  the  demo- 
cratic party  against  the  court  influence. 

Meantime,  the  finances  had  been  intrusted  to 
Turgot,  who,  as  a  philosopher  and  economist,  medi- 
tated such  a  removal  of  abuses  as  would  have  given 
strength  to  the  throne  and  liberty  to  the  subject ;  but 
Maurepas,  envious  of  his  colleague's  popularity,  and 
alarmed  at  the  opposition  to  his  Six  Edicts,  procured 
his  dismissal.  The  department  over  which  Turgot 
had  presided,  came,  after  a  brief  interval,  into  the 
hands  of  Necker,  who  regulated  the  finances  with 
much  ability  and  success  dm-ing  the  difficult  period 
when  France  aided  the  American  insurgents  to  shake 
off  the  English  yoke.  Necker's  celebrated  budget  of 
1781  exliibited  a  surplus  of  ten  millions  in  Ihc  revenue, 


ASSEMBLING   OF   THE   STATES-GENERAL.  115 

but,  though  hailed  with  general  approbation,  this 
financial  triumph  wounded  the  vanity  of  Maurepas ; 
and  Necker,  finding  that  he  was  no  longer  treated 
with  confidence,  tendered  his  resignation. 

His  successor,  Calonne,  pursuing  a  course  of  policy 
precisely  opposite,  was  soon  in  such  perplexity,  that 
in  1787  an  assembly  of  the  notables  was  convened ; 
but  the  Parliament,  after  refusing  to  register  the  royal 
edicts,  declared  that  the  States-general  had  the  sole 
power  in  matters  of  taxation.  The  King  thereupon 
consented  to  the  convocation  of  the  States-gent'ral 
within  five  years,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  recalled 
Necker,  whose  restoration  to  power  was  celebrated 
with  tumultuous  rejoicing.  On  his  resuming  the 
functions  of  finance  minister  matters  went  somewhat 
smoothly,  and  in  1788  an  edict  was  issued  for  conven- 
ing the  Estates. 

The  Clueen  with  a  higher  spirit  and  a  more  capa- 
cious mind  than  her  husband,  had  insisted  on  the 
expediency  of  the  States-general  meeting  at  least  forty 
leagues  from  the  capital ;  but  she  was  overruled,  and 
on  the  5th  of  May,  1789,  they  assembled  at  Versailles, 
after  an  interval  of  seventy-five  years.  This  body, 
in  which  the  influence  of  the  Third  Estate  soon  be- 
came predominant,  assumed  the  authority  which  had 
previously  belonged  to  the  crown,  formed  itself  into  a 
national  assembly,  and  armed  the  democracy  of  Paris. 
Then  began  in  earnest  that  Revolution  which,  what- 
ever its  ultimate  influence   on  the   destinies  of  the 


no  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

human  race,  proved  so  prolific  of  crime,  bloodshed,  and 
wretchedness,  as  to  mortify  the  most  enthusiastic  and 
disappoint  the  least  hopeful.  The  Bastille  was  taken 
by  an  infuriated  mob ;  the  chief  nobles  and  princes 
of  the  blood  were  driven  into  exile  ;  the  King,  being 
brought  to  Paris,  was  compelled  to  accept  the  declara- 
tion of  the  Rights  of  Man  ;  and  titles  of  nobility  were 
abolished  throughout  France.  Then  a  general  con- 
federation took  place  in  the  Champ  de  Mars  on  tho 
anniversary  of  the  taking  of  the  Bastille — the  last  day 
of  hope  enjoyed  by  the  royal  family. 

Clubs  were  now  constituted  to  carry  on  the  work 
of  agitation.  The  earliest  of  these  had  its  meetings 
at  the  ancient  convent  of  the  Jacobins,  from  which  a 
body  of  tho  most  violent  revolutionists  afterward 
derived  their  name.  At  this  time,  Mirabeau,  a  man 
of  noble  birth,  irregular  habits,  and  stormy  passions, 
who  had  exercised  unrivaled  influence  over  the  Assem- 
bly, died  a  victim  to  his  excesses. 

Meanwhile  the  Emigrants  were  demanding  aid  from 
every  court  in  Christendom,  and  Louis,  alarmed  for 
his  personal  safety,  escaped  with  his  family  from  the 
palace  of  the  Tuileries,  and  eluding  the  vigilance  of 
guards  passed  the  barrier  without  hindrance  ;  but  be- 
ing intercepted  at  Varennes,  he  was  conveyed  back  to 
Paris,  where,  in  spite  of  a  protest  on  the  part  of  his 
exiled  brothers,  the  hapless  King  accepted  the  new 
Constitution. 

The  year  1792  was  still  more  disastrous  to  the  uit 


THE   REVOLUTION.  117 

fortmiate  monarch.  "  Liberty,  Eqixality,  and  Frater- 
nity," became  the  cry  ;  and  while  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, at  the  head  of  the  armies  of  Austria  and  Prussia, 
was  advancing  to  repress  the  revohition,  an  armed 
mob  forced  the  Tuileries,  insulted  the  heir  of  Henry  of 
Navan-e  with  impunity,  and  forced  him  to  place  on 
his  head  the  bonnet  range,  recognizeil  as  the  emblem 
of  liberty.  Soon  after  this  occun-ence  the  National 
Assembly  decreed  the  country  in  danger,  and  Petion 
demanded  the  King's  deposition.  Another  and  fiercer 
assault  was  made  on  the  Tuileries,  and  Louis,  with 
that  majestic  dueen  who  had  first  entered  the  capital 
through  triumphal  arches  and  streets  strewn  with 
nosegays,  fled  for  refuge  in  the  National  Assembly, 
while  the  Swiss  Guards  were  pitilessly  butchered  by 
a  people  rendered  cruel  by  centuries  of  oppression. 

On  the  same  day  the  royal  authority  was  suspended, 
and  the  work  of  revolution  went  rapidly  onward.  The 
members  of  the  royal  family  were  imprisoned  in  tho 
Temple  ;  the  statues  of  the  kings  were  thrown  down  ; 
the  state-prisoners  were  ferociously  massacred  ;  an- 
archy reigned ;  the  National  Convention  was  con- 
stituted ;  the  King  was  deposed  ;  France  was  declared 
a  Republic  ;  and  fraternity  was  decreed  to  all  nations 
struggling  for  liberty. 

On  the  2d  of  November  the  Convention,  in  the 
plenitude  of  its  lawless  power,  decided  that  Louis 
should  be  brought  to  trial.  On  the  17th  of  January, 
1793,  he  was  condemned,  and  on  the  21st  he  was  led 


118  HISTORY   FOR    BOYS.— FRANCE. 

forth  to  execution.  On  the  1 5th  of  October  his  dueen 
was  hkewise  beheaded,  and  two  years  later  their  son, 
Louis  XVII.,  died  in  prison. 

The  French  armies,  under  Dumouriez  and  Keller- 
mann,  had  hitherto  been  successful  against  the  allies 
of  the  Emigrants  ;  but  after  the  judicial  murders  of 
Louis  and  his  (yieen  the  nations  of  Europe  took  up 
arms.  All  freedom  and  order  were  indeed  at  an  end. 
Kobespierre,  if  records  do  not  belie  his  words  and 
actions,  was  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  of  those 
specimens  of  humanity  who  luxuriate  in  the  flow  of 
blood.  To  gratify  this  thirst,  neither  age  nor  sex  was 
spared,  and  ere  long  Robespierre  fell  before  the  spirit 
he  had  invoked.  In  July,  1794,  he  was  guillotined, 
along  with  his  principal  partisans  ;  the  Jacobin  club 
was  suppressed ;  the  reign  of  terror  was  over ;  and 
the  world  breathed  somewhat  more  freely. 

A  new  scene  was  speedily  opened  up.  Napoleon 
Bonaparte — a  native  of  Corsica — one  of  the  greatest 
actors  who  ever  appeared  on  the  theatre  of  the  world, 
having  previously  distinguished  himself  at  the  siege 
of  Toulon,  displayed  extraordinary  capacity  in  the 
suppression  of  a  Parisian  insurrection  in  1795.  He 
was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  army  destined 
for  Italy,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  achieved  such 
prodigies  of  generalship  that  his  troops  were  considered 
invincible,  and  Bonaparte,  who  had  indulged  from 
infancy  in  ambitious  dreams,  determined  on  emulating 
the  actions  and  acquiring  the  crown  of  Charlemagne. 


BONAPARTE   PROCLAIMED   EMPEROR.       IID 

He  carried  all  before  him,  and  the  combined  powers 
of  Europe,  with  the  exception  of  England,  laid  down 
their  arms  ;  and  finding  on  his  return  from  Egypt  in 
1799  a  revolution  in  Paris,  he  skillfully  turned  the 
circumstance  to  his  own  advantage,  and  was  declared 
First  Consul. 

Next  year  Bonaparte  crossed  the  Great  St.  Ber- 
nard, at  the  head  of  forty  thousand  soldiers  ;  and  in 
June,  1800,  gained  the  battle  of  Marengo,  which 
placed  all  Italy  at  his  feet.  The  victory  of  Moreau 
at  Hohenlinden  accelerated  a  peace  with  Austria, 
which  was  signed  in  1801,  and  followed  in  1802  by 
the  Treaty  of  Amiens,  productive  of  a  temporary  ces- 
sation of  hostilities  between  England  and  France. 

Bonaparte  seized  the  opportunity  to  apply  his  gen- 
ius to  the  improvement  of  the  general  condition  of  the 
country,  and  occupied  his  attention  with  operations 
which  entitle  him  to  gratitude.  At  the  Sctme  time 
he  altogether  departed  from  the  spirit  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  stripped  the  people  of  every  vestige  of  pow- 
er. But  Frenchmen  were  so  weary  of  change  and 
tumult,  that  they  preferred  crouching  at  the  feet  of  a 
victorious  despot,  to  being  mercilessly  butchered  at 
the  bidding  of  sanguinary  demagogues.  Accordingly, 
in  1804,  Bonaparte  was  proclaimed  Emperor. 

The  peace  with  England  was  of  brief  duration. 
The  Emperor,  repairing  to  Boulogne,  prepared  a  for- 
midable armament  for  the  invasion  of  the  British 
isles,  and  Pitt  sent  forth  the  Hero  of  the  Nile,  who 


120  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

gained  so  complete  a  victory  over  the  French  fleet  at 
Trafalgar,  that  Bonaparte  no  longer  ventured  to  dis- 
pute the  sovereignty  of  the  seas.  But  though  unsuc- 
cessful on  that  element,  the  great  Emperor  was  not 
without  his  briJhant  triumphs.  Learning,  while  at 
j3oulogne,  that  the  Austrians  and  Russians  M'ere  ad- 
vancing, he  suddenly  departed  thence  and  crossed  the 
Rhine.  After  several  successes  on  the  part  of  his 
generals,  Bonaparte  compelled  the  capitulation  at 
Ulm,  and  entered  Vienna  as  a  conqueror.  From 
that  city  he  marched  into  Moravia ;  and  on  the  2d 
of  December,  1805,  the  anniversary  of  his  coronation, 
totally  defeated  the  Austro-Russian  army  at  Auster- 
Htz. 

Napoleon  retraced  his  steps  to  Paris,  where  he  was 
welcomed  with  intoxicating  applause.  Ambitious  to 
elevate  his  family,  he  bestowed  the  Neapolitan  crown 
on  his  brother  Joseph ;  erected  the  United  Provinces 
into  a  kingdom  for  Louis  ;  and  nominated  Murat,  his 
brother-in-law,  Grand  Duke  of  Cleves.  Untaught  by 
the  example  of  Cromwell,  he  even  attempted  to  create 
a  hereditary  order  of  nobility  ;  but  the  eflbrt  was,  of 
course,  futile. 

About  this  date  the  King  of  Prussia,  resolving  on 
war,  insulted  the  French  embassador,  and  invaded 
Saxony.  Bonaparte  undertook  a  campaign,  and  an- 
nihilated the  Prussian  power  at  the  great  battle  of 
Jena,  in  1806.  He  then  visited  the  tomb  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  and  possessed  himself  of  that  royal 


NAPOl.EUN     AT    AUSTERLITZ. 


BONAPARTE'S    REVERSES.  123 

warrior's  sword ;  after  which  he  marched  into  Po- 
land, and  crushed  the  Russian  army  at  Friedlaud. 
A  conference  which  took  place  between  the  two  Em- 
perors and  the  King  of  Prussia  resuUed  in  the  Treaty 
of  Tilsit. 

Portugal  was  the  next  victim.  A  proclamation  for 
lier  dismemberment  being  issued,  the  Prince  Regent 
and  royal  iiimily  embarked,  in  trepidation,  for  Brazil. 
Soon  after,  the  royal  family  of  Spain,  who  had  been 
singularly  servile,  were  sacrificed  to  Napoleon's  ambi- 
tion ;  and  Joseph  Bonaparte,  resigning  the  crown  of 
Naples,  became  King  of  Spain. 

But  the  Spaniards  would  not  submit  to  be  thus 
appropriated.  They  rose  with  all  their  ancient  spirit, 
declared  war  to  the  death,  and  so  effectually  checked 
the  French  progress  in  the  Peninsula,  that  Joseph 
was  obliged  to  abandon  Madrid  a  week  after  he  had 
entered  it.  Events  hurried  onward.  Portugal  revolt- 
ed :  Wellington  landed  there  with  an  English  army, 
and  turned  back  the  tide  of  conquest  that  had  over- 
whelmed the  whole  Continent.  In  Spain  the  English 
were  received  by  their  old  enemies  with  open  arms, 
and  the  star  of  Napoleon  began  to  pale  in  its  lustre. 
In  his  efforts  to  subjugate  Spain,  the  Emperor  lost 
the  flower  of  his  armies ;  and  his  former  allies,  em- 
boldened by  the  success  of  the  English,  threw  off 
his  yoke,  and  became  so  many  foes.  On  the  vergo 
of  his  fate,  he  divorced,  in  1810,  the  Empress  Jo- 
sephine,  and   M'ilhin   three    months    married    Maria 


124  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

Louisa  of  Austria.  Their  son  was  styled  the  King  of 
Rome. 

In  1812  the  Emperor  put  his  fortune  to  the  test. 
He  declared  war  against  Russia,  and  undertook  a 
campaign  at  the  head  of  four  hundred  thousand  men. 
Having  captured  and  burned  Smolensko,  he  fought  a 
battle  before  Moscow,  and  took  possession  of  that  city. 
But  the  inhabitants,  believing  their  country  to  be  lost 
if  the  French  found  rest  and  shelter  in  Moscow,  set 
fire  to  it  in  a  thousand  places  during  the  night ;  and 
in  a  few  hours  tlie  buildings  were  in  ruins  and  ashes. 
After  fruitless  negotiations  Bonaparte  withdrew  from 
Moscow,  as  the  winter  was  setting  in  with  unusual 
severity ;  but  in  crossing  the  Berezina  twenty  thou- 
sand Frenchmen  perished,  and  the  retreat  became  a 
fearful  rout.  On  the  5th  of  December  Bonaparte  de- 
serted his  shattered  army,  and  on  the  18th  arrived,  at 
midnight,  in  Paris. 

New  forces  being  raised,  the  Emperor  again  took 
the  field,  and  gained  the  battle  of  Liitzen  in  1813  ; 
but  Wellington,  having  defeated  the  French  generals 
in  Spain,  Paris  capitulated  in  March,  1814,  and  was 
occupied  by  the  Allied  armies.  Napoleon,  while 
hurrying  thither,  received  the  fatal  news,  and  falling 
back  on  Fontainebleau,  he  there  learned  that  he  had 
been  proclaimed  a  tyrant  by  the  senate.  Betrayed 
and  abandoned  by  his  old  companions  in  arms.  Napo- 
leon signed  the  Treaty  of  Fontainebleau,  which  de- 
clared himself  and  his  descendants  to  have  forfeited 


RESTORATION   OF  THE   BOURBONS.         125 

the  crown.  On  the  20th  of  April  he  prepared  to  de- 
part for  Elba,  addressed  his  sobbing  soldiers  in  ac- 
cents tremulous  with  agitation,  and  after  pressing 
their  standard  to  his  lips,  threw  liimself  into  his 
traveling  carriage. 

On  the  same  day,  the  heir  of  the  Bourbon  mon< 
archs,  escorted  by  the  Prince  of  "Wales,  emerged  from 
his  seclusion  at  Hartwell,  entered  London  amidst  the 
applause  of  a  multitude,  and  four  days  later  was  con- 
ducted to  Dover.  On  the  3d  of  May  he  made  a  sol- 
emn entrj'  into  Paris,  accompanied  by  the  Duchess 
of  Angouleme,  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  attended 
by  the  Old  Guard,  whose  gloom  contrasted  with  the 
joy  exhibited  by  the  long-depressed  partisans  of  the 
House  of  Bourbon.  But  a  royal  family  restored  by 
foreign  arms  can  hardly  contmue  popular,  and  the 
brilliant  achievements  of  Napoleon  had  rendered  the 
French  people  ardent  lovers  of  novelty  and  excite- 
ment. 

The  deposed  Emperor  perfectly  comprehended  their 
character,  and  next  year,  with  the  utmost  confidence 
in  the  enthusiasm  of  the  army  for  his  person,  he  land- 
ed at  Cannes  with  a  thousand  men.  Every  where 
the  soldiers  responded  to  his  eloquent  appeal.  Ney, 
after  taking  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  King,  unable 
to  resist  the  fascination,  flung  himself  in  the  arms 
of  his  former  general.  The  King,  in  despair,  fled  to 
Ghent,  and  Napoleon  took  possession  of  Paris  without 
firing  a  shot. 


120  HISTORV   FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

He  had  soon  three  hundred  thousand  men  under 
his  command,  and  yet  his  position  was  perilous,  for 
all  Europe  was  in  commotion  to  repress  his  ambi- 
tion ;  and  at  Brussels  were  stationed  about  thirty 
thousand  British  troops,  taught  from  infancy  never 
to  turn  their  back  upon  a  foe,  and  headed  by  the 
most  successful  captain  of  the  age.  Napoleon  had 
now  to  learn  from  experience  what  manner  of  men 
these  free  and  famous  islanders  were,  when  brought 
face  to  face  and  hand  to  hand  with  an  enemy,  how- 
ever brave  and  powerful. 

On  the  1st  of  June  he  animated  the  spirits  of  his 
followers  by  an  impressive  military  pageant,  in  which 
fifty  thousand  soldiers  were  reviewed,  and  then  took 
the  field  to  achieve,  as  he  anticipated,  a  crowning 
victory. 

On  the  cloudy  morning  of  the  18th  of  June,  1815, 
after  a  night  of  wind,  rain,  and  thunder,  during  which 
their  forces  had  bivouacked  within  a  mile  of  each 
other,  Wellington  and  Napoleon  met  on  the  plains 
of  Waterloo — the  fate  of  Europe  trembling  in  the 
balance.  Delighted  to  find  that  his  antagonist,  in- 
stead of  retreating,  as  he  had  expected,  was  setting 
the  Allied  army  in  battle  order,  Napoleon  praised  the 
manner  in  which  the  enemy  took  the  ground,  but 
added,  "  They  must  run."  Soult,  who  better  under- 
stood the  character  of  the  English,  replied,  "  They 
will  be  cut  to  pieces  first."  At  half-past  ten,  a  gun 
fired  at  an  advancmg  column  of  French  was  the  sig- 


BATTLE   OF   WATERLOO.  127 

nal  for  action,  and  a  general  and  tremendous  cannon- 
ade followed. 

Wellington  had  calculated  on  the  arrival  of  Blii- 
cher,  Avith  his  Prussians,  at  three  o'clock  ;  but  the 
state  of  the  roads  delayed  them  long  beyond  that 
hour,  and  the  Allied  troops  had  thus  to  stand  or  fall, 
mostly  in  squares,  before  the  murderous  play  of  Na- 
poleon's artillery,  and  the  terrible  charges  of  his  cav- 
alry. Wellington,  vv'hile  riding  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fire,  though  his  aspect  remained  composed,  was  fre- 
quently observed  to  look  at  his  watch,  and  once  ex- 
claim, "  Would  to  God  that  night  or  Blixcher  would 
come  !" 

Napoleon,  on  the  contrary,  was  confident  of  vic- 
tory ;  and  about  six  in  the  evening,  having  ordered  his 
whole  front  line  to  advance,  and  led  forward  his  Im- 
perial Guards,  handed  over  the  lead  to  Ney,  pointing 
to  the  English  ranks,  and  saying,  "  There,  gentlemen, 
is  the  way  to  Brussels."  "Vive  l' JSmpereur .'"  was 
the  response,  and  the  French  dashed  onward  :  but  on 
cresting  a  hill,  behind  which  the  English  Foot  Guards 
were  sheltered  from  the  fire,  a  few  mounted  officers 
were  visible  through  the  smoke ;  and  one  of  these 
Was  Wellington,  who  shouted,  "  Up,  Guards,  and  at 
them !"  Instantly  they  sprang  to  their  feet,  and 
after  pouring  forth  a  shattering  volley,  rushed  upon 
the  foe  with  resistless  effect.  Wellington  now  per- 
ceiving that  the  Prussians  were  at  hand,  said,  "  The 
hour  is  come  I"  and  ordered  the  whole  line  to  charge. 


128  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— FRANCE. 

The  command  was  received  with  a  deafening  cheer : 
the  sun,  which  had  been  obscured  all  day,  burst 
forth,  and  the  English  troops,  whose  valor  had  been 
so  long  restrained,  pressed  onward  to  glowing  victory. 

Napoleon  was  hvid  with  rage  and  despair.  Be- 
wildered and  desperate,  he  rode  off"  the  field,  aban- 
doned the  wreck  of  his  army,  and  carried  to  Paris  the 
intelligence  that  all  was  lost.  There,  having  hastily 
signed,  in  favor  of  his  infant  son.  Napoleon  II.,  an  ab- 
dication, M'hich  the  Chambers  with  due  caution  ac- 
cepted, he  determined  to  leave  France  ;  and  betaking 
himself  with  his  suite  on  board  the  BcUerophon,  he 
wrote  to  the  Prince  Regent,  demanding  permission  to 
take  shelter  in  England.  The  reply  was  an  order  to 
convey  the  ex-Emperor  to  St.  Helena,  where  the 
great  Corsican  died  in  1821. 

Meantime  the  conquering  army  marched  to  Paris, 
and  Louis  XVIII.  took  possession  of  his  hereditary 
throne.  But  it  soon  appeared  that  exile  had  taught 
him  little  :  he  manifested  a  decided  predilection  for 
the  order  of  things  under  which  he  had  been  born, 
altogether  out  of  place  in  the  sovereign  of  a  people 
whose  history  had  not  been  such  as  to  inspire  them 
with  any  ardent  sympathy  with  the  past.  There 
was  all  the  pomp  of  an  ancient  monarchy,  without 
that  foundation  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  without 
which  even  historic  dynasties  can  not  endure.  In 
giving  toleration  to  the  Jesuits,  he  raised  suspicions, 
and  committed  a  blunder  which  had  proved  fatal  to 


REIGN  OF  CHARLES  X.  129 

other  restored  kings.  Yet  he  contrived  to  steer  be^ 
tween  contending  parties  till  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  16th  September,  1824,  and  left  the 
country  in  a  state  of  increasing  prosperity. 

Charles  X.,  brother  of  the  deceased  monarch,  was 
next  heir ;  and  his  accession  was  hailed  with  enthu- 
siasm by  the  Parisians,  who  regarded  his  abolition  of 
the  censorship  of  the  press,  along  with  his  gracious 
speech  and  affable  manners,  as  pledges  of  his  affec- 
tion for  a  liberal  system  of  government.  In  1825  he 
was  ceremoniously  crowned  at  Rheims  by  the  Arch- 
bishop, and  solemnly  swore  to  the  Charter  ;  but  for- 
tune was  decidedly  against  him.  The  erection  of 
Jesuit  colleges,  the  grant  of  forty  millions  to  the  emi- 
grants, and  the  attempted  restoration  of  the  law  of 
primogeniture,  aroused  Republican  jealousy  ;  and  the 
defeat  of  the  latter  measure,  in  1826,  was  followed  by 
signal  rejoicings.  Next  year  the  Church  in  France, 
finding  how  fonnidable  was  the  power  of  the  press, 
prevailed  on.  the  cabinet  to  introduce  a  measure  for 
curtaihng  its  freedom  ;  and  the  attempt,  though  fu- 
tile, was  productive  of  much  disturbance. 

Charles,  who  was  by  no  means  indifferent  to  the 
possession  of  popularity,  resolved  to  delight  the  eyes 
of  the  Parisians  with  a  review  of  the  National  Guard  ; 
and  on  the  last  Sunday  in  April,  1827,  nearly  the 
whole  population  of  Paris  poured  into  the  Champ  de 
Mars,  where  sixty  thousand  men  were  under  arms. 
The  reception  of  the  King  was  all  that  could  have 
T 


130  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

been  wished  ;  and  as  he  rode  along  the  ranks  he  was 
greeted  with  cries  of  "  Vive  h  Roi  /"  But  mingled 
with  these  were  expressions  condemnatory  of  his  min- 
isters, and  a  few  voices  even  insulted  the  members  of 
the  royal  family  who  happened  to  be  present.  Charles, 
unfortunately,  lost  his  temper.  "  T  come  here,"  he 
said,  angrily,  "  to  receive  homage,  not  lessons."  The 
demonstration  thus  proved  a  failure  ;  the  royal  party 
returned  home  depressed  and  dejected  ;  a  cabinet  coun- 
cil was  forthwith  summoned  ;  and  next  morning  an 
ordinance  was  vindictively  issued  for  disbanding  the 
National  Guard. 

There  was  courage,  if  not  prudence,  in  such  a  course, 
and  resistance  was  not  attempted.  But  the  press 
threatened  ministers  with  vengeance  ;  and  the  censor- 
ship was  despotically  re-established.  There  were  other 
signs  of  a  coming  struggle  between  revolutionized 
France  and  the  House  of  Bourbon ;  and  with  every 
national  sentiment  wounded,  with  the  army  disaffected, 
and  the  revolutionary  chiefs  at  liberty,  the  issue  was 
not  doubtful  when  the  inevitable  hour  at  length  ar- 
rived. 

In  1830,  a  period  pregnant  with  great  events,  came 
into  existence  the  unhappy  ministry  of  Prince  Polignac, 
which  was,  rightly  or  wrongly,  considered  dangerous 
to  the  public  liberty  so  dearly  bought.  Three  parties 
in  Paris,  were,  with  different  views,  eager  for  the  over- 
throw of  the  obnoxious  government  :  the  Republicans  ; 
the  constitutional  Conservatives;  and  the  Orleanists, 


REVOLUTION    OF    1830.  131 

who  had  the  benefit  of  the  potent  pen  of  Thiers  and 
the  convenient  cofiers  of  Lafitte.  The  motley  Oppo- 
sition, supported  by  a  most  powerful  and  eloquent  press, 
had  a  decided  majority  in  the  legislature  ;  but  Polig- 
nac,  however  inadequate  to  the  crisis,  still  persevered. 
The  Algerine  war  created  a  slight  reaction  in  the  pub- 
lic mind,  and  a  dissolution  of  the  Chambers  was 
thought  advisable.  Matters,  however,  only  became 
worse  ;  and  the  King  and  his  ministers  determined  to 
divest  themselves  of  fears  and  scruples,  to  violate  the 
constitution,  and  to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands. 

Accordingly  on  the  26th  of  July,  appeared  the 
memorable  and  fatal  ordinances,  by  which  the  new 
Chamber  was  dissolved  before  its  meeting,  the  elec- 
toral system  changed,  and  the  freedom  of  the  press 
abolished.  Murmurs,  not  loud  but  deep,  were  the 
first  rephes ;  but  next  day  Paris  was  in  rebellion. 
Barricades  were  thrown  up,  the  tri-colored  standard 
was  displayed,  every  street  became  a  scene  of  cai-- 
nage  and  confusion,  and  the  army,  in  whose  ranks 
had  previously  been  signs  of  wavering,  proved  faith- 
less in  the  hour  of  need. 

On  the  night  of  the  29th  the  royal  family  departed 
from  Versailles,  and  sought  refuge  at  Rambouillet.  It 
was  quite  evident,  however,  that  they  must  begone 
from  among  a  people  with  whom  they  had  no  senti- 
ments in  common.  Before  leaving  France  the  aged 
monarch  transmitted  to  the  Chambers  an  abdication 
in  favor  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  ;  but  it  was  too 


132  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— FRANCE. 

late.  The  sentence  against  the  Bourbons  had  gone 
forth  ;  the  Deputies  had  already,  in  their  wisdom, 
decided,  amid  salvos  of  artillery,  that  the  crown  should 
be  transferred  to  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  during 
the  revolution  is  said  to  have  been  hidden  in  a  sum- 
mer-house of  his  park  ;  and  accordingly,  on  the  9  th 
of  August,  that  eminent  personage  having,  with  head 
uncovered  and  outstretched  hand,  sworn  to  observe 
the  Constitutional  Charter,  and  henceforth  act  solely 
with  a  view  to  the  interests  of  the  people  of  France, 
began  to  reign  with  the  title  of  Louis  Philippe  I. 

On  the  1 6th  of  that  month,  the  dethroned  king  and 
his  family,  after  being  menaced  in  their  asylum  by 
twenty  thousand  Parisians,  embarked  at  Cherbourg  to 
seek  refuge  on  the  shores  of  England. 

All  was  delusion,  however  ;  naught  was  truth.  A 
quarter  of  a  century  has  well-nigh  passed ;  but  the 
throne  then  enthusiastically  erected  on  barricades  no 
longer  exists  as  an  eye-sore  to  Legitimists.  Ere  eigh- 
teen years  had  run  their  course,  a  scene  somewhat 
similar  to  the  three  days  of  July  was  being  recklessly 
enacted.  The  Orleans  dynasty  had  fallen  ;  and  the 
prince  whom  the  French  citizens  had,  on  that  mo- 
mentous occasion,  elevated  to  sovereignty,  was  flying, 
in  terror  and  dismay,  with  those  descendants  in  the 
male  hne  to  whom  the  crovni  had  been  granted  for- 
ever, to  seek  and  find  safety  on  the  same  free  and 
sacred  soil. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HISTOUY    OF    ENGLAND. 

About  the  year  451,  when  the  Ancient  Britons 
were  enervated  by  four  centuries  of  servitude  under 
the  K,omans — when  they  were  left  by  their  Imperial 
masters  at  the  mercy  of  the  first  invader — and  when, 
unable  to  repress  the  inroads  of  the  Scots,  they  com- 
plained that  the  barbarians  drove  them  to  the  sea, 
that  the  sea  drove  them  back  on  the  barbarians,  and 
that  they  had  only  the  choice  of  two  deaths,  either  to 
be  swallowed  by  the  waves  or  slain  by  the  sword — 
there  anchored  off  the  coast  of  Kent  three  bulky  ships, 
commanded  by  Hengist,  a  martial  Saxon,  who  boast- 
ed of  a  descent  from  Woden,  the  god  of  war,  and  who 
had  been  trained  to  arms  in  the  ranks  of  Rome. 
From  this  chief  and  his  brother,  Horsa,  the  querulous 
Britons  craved  assistance  against  their  Northen  foes ; 
and  these  daimtless  strangers,  calling  over  an  army 
of  their  countrj'men,  speedily  drove  the  Picts  and 
Scots  to  their  fastnesses.  So  far,  however,  from  mani- 
festing any  haste  to  depart  from  the  fertile  and  beau- 
tiful land  which  he  had  deUvered,  Hengist  settled  in 
Lincolnshire ;   and  there  he  gave  a  feast,  to  which 


134  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

went  Vortigern,  a  king  among  the  Britons.  The  eyes 
of  the  royal  guest,  unused  to  damsels  so  fair  and  fasci- 
nating, were  arrested  by  E.owena,  the  youthful  daugh- 
ter of  Hengist;  and  when  that  alluring  nymph,  on 
bended  knee,  presented  to  him  the  wassail  cup,  her 
soft  accents  and  graceful  movements  so  chamied  Yor- 
tigern's  heart,  that  he  never  rested  till  she  became  his 
bride.  Her  kinsmen  thereupon  gave  indications,  not 
to  be  mistaken,  of  aspiring  to  supremacy  in  the  coun- 
try. The  sword  was  drawn,  and  the  two  races  com- 
menced that  struggle  which  lasted  for  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years,  which  the  Britons  maintained  with  the 
energy  of  despair,  and  which  gave  occasion  to  the  ex- 
ploits of  their  king  Arthur  and  those  Knights  of  the 
Round  Table  who  figure  as  heroes  in  chivalrous  ro- 
mances. Their  courage  and  patriotism  were  vain ; 
for  beneath  the  white-horse  banner  of  Hengist  his 
strong  followers  plied  their  battle-axes  so  eflectually 
that  their  leader  became  Kuig  of  Kent,  and  founded 
the  Saxon  rule  in  Britain. 

During  the  existence  of  the  Saxon  Heptarchy,  which 
included  the  whole  country,  subject  to  seven  princes, 
the  Anglo-Saxon  chiefs,  being  converted  to  Christian- 
ity, became  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  discon- 
tinued the  worship  of  Thor  and  ^Yoden,  and  erected 
monasteries ;  and  in  627  Egbert,  king  of  Wessex, 
formed  the  separate  provinces  into  one  state,  and 
reigned  over  all  England. 

The  Saxons  were  waging  a  fierce  civil  war,  when, 


THE    SAXON    PERIOD.  135 

one  morning,  a  band  of  adventurers,  with  shaved 
beards,  and  short,  well-combed  yellow  hair,  entered  a 
port  on  the  southern  coast.  A  local  magistrate  going 
to  the  harbor  demanded  their  business.  The  Northern 
pirates,  with  a  howl  of  defiance,  slew  the  official  and 
his  attendants,  plundered  the  town,  placed  the  booty 
in  their  vessels,  gave  their  sails  to  the  wind,  tugged 
at  their  oars,  and  were  soon  out  of  sight.  Such  was 
the  ominous  commencement  of  the  hostilities  which 
the  Danes  henceforth  carried  on  against  the  shores  of 
England. 

At  length,  in  871,  King  Ethelred  was  mortally 
wounded  in  a  battle  with  the  fierce  invaders,  and  his 
hopeful  son,  Alfred  the  Great,  was  chosen  as  successor 
to  the  crown.  But  the  young  king,  proving  less 
popular  than  was  anticipated,  received  so  little  sup- 
port against  the  sea-kings,  that  he  was  under  the 
necessity  of  relinquishing  his  throne,  and  seeking  ref- 
uge in  the  hut  of  a  swine-herd  on  the  verge  of  Corn- 
wall. One  day,  while  in  this  obscure  retreat,  the 
swine-herd's  wife,  unconscious  of  her  guest's  quality, 
ordered  him  to  watch  some  cakes  which  were  baking 
at  the  fire  ;  but  Alfred  was  so  deeply  interested  in 
some  bows  and  arrows  that  he  neglected  her  instruc- 
tions. "  You  stupid  man  I"  exclaimed  the  enraged 
woman ;  "  you  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  prevent 
my  bread  from  burning,  though  you're  always  very 
glad  to  eat  it  I" 

Alfred,  too  great  a  hero  to  despair  of  his  fortunes. 


136  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

ere  long  ventured  forth,  and,  disguised  as  a  minstrel, 
took  his  way  to  the  Danish  camp.  AVliile  diverting 
the  rude  v^^arriors  with  songs  and  music,  he  hecame 
conversant  with  their  aflairs,  and  then  summoning 
his  subjects  to  repair  to  his  standard,  he  defeated  the 
Danes  in  eight  battles,  and  reduced  them  to  submis- 
sion by  his  genius  and  valor. 

The  invasion  of  Swen,  king  of  Denmark,  in  1002, 
once  more  changed  the  position  of  the  antagonistic 
races  ;  and  his  son,  Canute  the  Great,  during  eighteen 
years,  reigned  with  distinction  in  England.  How- 
ever, in  1011,  Edward  the  Confessor,  heir  of  the 
Saxon  line,  was  restored  to  his  ancestral  throne  by 
the  arms  of  Earl  Godwin,  whom  some  chroniclers  de- 
scribe as  son  of  a  cowherd,  while  others  assert  that  he 
was  grand-nephew  of  Edric,  the  potent  Earl  of  Mcrcia. 
In  cither  case,  the  restored  king  married  Godwin's 
daughter,  the  learned  and  beautiful  Edith ;  and  when 
Edward  died  without  heirs,  the  English,  as  previously 
related,  elected  in  his  stead  Godwin's  son,  the  rich 
and  popular  Harold. 

The  throne  which  Harold  occupied  for  nine  months 
was  utterly  unstable.  The  empire  of  the  Saxons  in 
England  was  in  the  last  stages  of  decay.  A  corrupt 
church,  a  lazy,  luxurious  aristocracy,  and  a  populace 
oppressed  and  unscrupulously  decimated  to  supply  the 
Irish  slave-market,  formed  a  nation,  which,  however 
capable  of  being  resuscitated  by  an  infusion  of  fresh 
blood,  was  deficient  in  the  elements  of  defense  ;  when 


THE   NORMAN   CONQUEST.  1J7 

a  ship,  with  the  Pope's  banner  flying  at  its  mast-head 
and  three  hons  painted  on  its  sails,  landed  William  of 
Normandy  at  Pevensey,  in  Sussex. 

The  conquest,  which  his  numerous  army  com- 
menced on  the  14th  of  October,  1066,  with  the  victory 
of  Hastings,  where  King  Harold  fell  fighting,  facili- 
tated by  the  helplessness  of  the  Saxon  prince,  Edgar 
Atheling,  and  the  temporizing  of  the  great  Northern 
earls,  Edwin  and  Morkar,  was  gradually  extended 
from  the  coast  of  Sussex  and  the  downs  of  Kent  to 
the  mountains  of  Northumberland  ;  and  then  no  hope 
remained  for  the  vanquished  race  but  in  the  Isle  of 
Ely,  a  marshy  district,  where,  in  1069,  among  rushes 
and  willows,  a  band  of  resolute  patriots  formed  a 
Camp  of  Refuge. 

At  that  date  there  came  from  Flanders  an  En- 
glishman named  Hereward,  whose  patrimony  had,  in 
his  absence,  been  seized  by  a  Norman  ;  but  Here- 
ward, assembling  his  friends,  speedily  expelled  the  in- 
truder, and  afterward  carried  on  a  partisan  warfare 
with  so  much  success,  that  he  became  the  hero  of 
street  ballads,  and  Captain  of  the  camp  at  Ely.  In 
that  cajiacity  he  exhibited  singular  skill,  and  the 
place  being  taken  after  a  struggle,  Hereward  made  a 
hairbreadth  escape,  and  still  kept  about  him  a  hun- 
dred Englishmen,  several  of  whom  made  a  rule  of 
never  shrinking  from  a  combat  with  seven  foreigners. 
The  exploits  of  Hereward  so  endeared  him  to  an  En- 
glish lady  of  large  property,  that  she  proposed  to  unite 


138  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

her  fate  with  his  ;  and,  after  their  marriage,  she  pre- 
vailed ou  him  to  make  his  peace  with  the  Conqueror. 

Hereward,  who  had  now  the  prospect  of  hving  in 
safety,  was  one  afternoon  lazily  reposing  in  his  shady 
orchard,  without  his  coat  of  mail,  but  with  a  sword 
and  pike  by  his  side,  when  his  slumber  was  broken 
by  the  entrance  of  a  troop  of  Normans.  The  destined 
victim,  arousing  himself,  grasped  his  pike  and  pierced 
their  leader  to  the  heart ;  and  then,  drawing  his 
sword,  he  fought  desperately,  till  the  blade  was  shiv- 
ered on  the  helmets  of  his  foes.  Even  then  he  laid 
about  him  with  the  pommel,  and  fifteen  Normans  had 
fallen,  ere,  wounded  and  bleeding,  he  was  beaten  to 
his  knee.  While  the  life-blood  was  flowing.  Here-, 
ward,  seizing  a  buckler,  struck  a  Breton  knight  so 
fiercely  in  the  face,  that  they  expired  at  the  same 
moment ;  and  from  that  time  it  became  a  popular 
saying,  that  if  four  such  men  had  existed  in  England, 
the  conquest  could  never  have  been  accomplished.  As 
it  was,  Saxons,  Danes,  and  Britons  groaned  under  a 
foreigu  yoke  ;  William  metamorphosed  each  of  his 
mercenary  comrades  into  a  knight  or  noble  ;  and  En- 
gland became,  for  the  time,  an  appanage  of  the  Nor- 
man duchy. 

The  English  people,  however,  though  vanquished 
and  plundered,  retained  sufficient  influence  to  make 
their  alliance  worth  striving  for,  and  it  was  exerted 
on  several  memorable  occasions  in  favor  of  Norman 
princes,  who  proved  most  ungrateful.    William  Hufus. 


THE   ANGLO-SAXON   REIGN.  130 

after  being  crowned  in  1087,  appealed  to  the  natives 
in  his  hour  of  need,  and  promised  them,  in  exchange 
for  aid  against  the  Norman  adherents  of  his  elder 
brother,  Robert,  whatever  laws  they  should  desire. 
At  the  siege  of  Rochester  they  rendered  him  triumph- 
ant ;  but  when  securely  seated  on  the  throne,  William 
laughed  at  his  promises,  and  proved  so  tyrannical  in 
regard  to  the  Forest  Laws,  that  ho  was  styled,  in  de- 
rision, "  the  Wild-beast  Herd."  The  English  expe- 
rienced a  feeling  of  relief  when,  on  an  August  morn- 
ing in  1100,  Rufus  fell  in  a  glade  of  the  New  Forest, 
mortally  wounded  by  an  arrow,  which  his  cherished 
friend,  Walter  Tirel,  had  shot  at  a  stag. 

Henry  T.,  surnamed  Beauclerc,  the  Conqueror's 
youngest  son,  then  seized  upon  the  throne.  He  in- 
stantly paid  court  to  the  Anglo-Saxons,  talked  of  be- 
ing a  native  of  their  country,  promised  a  charter  to 
secure  their  ancient  liberties,  and  espoused  the  Prin- 
cess Maude,  niece  of  Edgar  Atheling.  The  hopes  thus 
excited  were  cruelly  disappointed  ;  the  good  cpieen 
AA'ent  to  her  last  account  with  tlie  melancholy  reflection 
that  she  had  sacrificed  herself  for  her  race  in  vain, 
and  her  son  inherited  so  little  of  the  maternal  spirit, 
that  he  vowed  to  make  the  English  draw  plows  like 
oxen  when  he  came  to  the  throne.  But  in  the  midst 
of  such  threats  the  youth  was  drowned,  in  his  passage 
from  Normandy,  in  the  winter  of  1120;  and  King 
Henry,  having  with  difficulty  persuaded  the  barons  to 
recognize  as  heir  to  the  crown  his  daughter,  Maude, 


140  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— ENGLAND. 

married  first  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  and,  on  his 
decease,  to  the  Count  of  Aiijou,  died  in  1135,  while 
on  a  hunting  expedition  in  Normandy. 

Stephen,  count  of  Boulogne,  now  seized  upon  the 
throne,  and  the  Anglo-Saxons  held  aloof  from  the 
civil  strife  which  ensued  betAveen  that  martial  prince 
and  the  Empress  Maude.  Believing  that  they  had 
no  interest  in  the  dispute,  they  continued  to  plow 
and  toil,  without  taking  part  in  public  affairs,  except, 
perhaps,  in  erecting  those  castles,  with  turrets  and 
pinnacles,  which  Stephen  allowed  the  barons  to  raise 
on  every  eminence,  and  which  contrasted  strangely 
with  the  two-storied  dwellings,  embosomed  among 
oaks,  where  resided  such  of  the  Saxon  thanes  as  had . 
escaped  the  Norman  sword. 

Henrj'  II.,  son  of  Maude,  and  founder  of  the  Plan- 
tagenet  dynasty,  succeeded  Stephen  in  1154;  and 
when  he  arrived  in  England  the  people  could  not 
refrain  from  applauding  so  young,  brave,  and  hand- 
some a  prince,  as  he  looked  when  crowiied  with  his. 
spouse,  Eleanor  of  Aquitaine.  During  the  same  year, 
Nicholas  Breakspear,  an  Englishman,  was  elevated  to 
the  papal  throne  ;  and  ere  long,  gayest  and  most  dis- 
tinguished among  Heniy's  courtiers,  appeared  a  man, 
sprung  from  the  vanquished  race,  cradled  in  romance, 
destined  to  an  extraordinary  career,  and  doomed  to  a 
tragical  end. 

In  Palestine — during  one  of  the  earlier  crusades, 
to  which  he  had  gone  with  a  warlike  baron — Gilbert 


THOMAS   A   BECKET.  141 

Becket,  an  Anglo-Saxon,  was  taken  prisoner  and 
thrown  into  a  dungeon  by  the  Saracens.  An  emir's 
daughter,  seeing  and  loving  the  captive  Englishman, 
contrived  his  escape  ;  and  Becket,  reaching  his  native 
land  in  safety,  became  a  London  trader  ;  marched,  no 
doubt,  with  the  fighting  men  oi'  the  city  ;  and  enjoyed 
himself  at  times,  like  his  neighbors,  by  hunting  wild 
boars  in  the  primeval  forest  beyond  Islington.  Mean- 
time absence  made  the  Eastern  lady's  heart  grow 
fonder,  and  she  formed  the  romantic  resolution  of  fol- 
lowing the  object  of  her  affections,  though  without 
any  other  knowledge  respecting  him  than  his  city  and 
his  name.  Nevertheless,  by  repairing  to  a  seaport 
and  repeating  the  word  London,  she  was  taken  on 
board  a  vessel  bound  for  the  Thames,  and  on  arrival 
went  about  the  streets  asking  for  Gilbert.  At  that 
date  the  population  did  not  exceed  forty  thousand,  and 
Ludgate  was  the  West  End,  so  that  the  chance  was 
rather  in  favor  of  the  enamored  damsel  meeting  with 
her  hero.  At  all  events — so  runs  the  legend — her 
Oriental  accents  happened  to  arrest  his  ear,  and  the 
emir's  daughter  being  converted  to  Christianity,  and 
immersed  in  a  baptismal  font,  became  the  wife  of  the 
worthy  citizen  for  whom  she  had  braved  perils  by 
sea  and  land.  In  due  time,  about  the  year  1117, 
a  son  was  born  to  them,  and  named  Thomas ;  and 
he,  proving  a  handsome  lad,  and  exhibiting  extraordi- 
nary intelligence,  was  educated  for  the  priestly  office. 
Going  on  a  mission  to  Rome  from  the  Archbishop  of 


142  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Canterbury,  Thomas  a  Becket  rendered  eminent  ser- 
vices to  the  Plantagcnet  cause  ;  and  being  appointed 
Chancellor  of  the  realm  on  Henry's  accession,  he 
became  the  King's  bosom  friend,  and  lived  in  a  style 
of  unrivaled  magnificence.  In  1160  Becket  was  sent 
to  Paris,  to  negotiate  a  marriage  between  the  King's 
eldest  son,  Henry,  and  an  infant  daughter  of  the 
French  monarch.  His  retinue  was  superb.  Two  hun- 
dred boys  preceded  the  procession,  singing  national 
ballads  ;  after  whom  rode  the  huntsmen  with  hounds 
and  the  falconers  with  hawks,  followed  by  eight  bag- 
gage wagons,  each  drawn  by  five  horses.  Next, 
with  monkeys  on  their  backs,  were  twelve  sumpter- 
horses  ;  behind  which  came  war-steeds,  led  by  esquires 
bearing  shields,  and  a  host  of  domestics,  high  and  low, 
all  richly  attired.  Lastly,  escorted  by  hundreds  of 
knights  and  barons,  appeared  the  observed  of  all  ob- 
servers, the  great  Chancellor  himself  "  Surely,"  ex- 
claimed the  French,  dazzled  with  so  much  state,  "  the 
King  of  England  must  be  a  wondrous  prince  when  his 
minister  travels  with  so  much  display  I" 

An  anecdote,  illustrative  of  the  familiarity  with 
which  the  Norman  king  treated  his  Anglo-Saxon 
favorite  has  been  preserved.  One  cold  and  windy 
day,  while  they  were  riding  through  the  streets  of 
London,  attended  by  a  gay  cavalcade,  their  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  beggar  in  tattered  garments,  upon 
whose  approach  Henry  asked  if  it  would  not  be  a 
laudable  act  to  give  the  old  man   a  warm  cloak. 


BECKET,   AS   PRIMATE.  143 

Becket  replied,  that  it  would  assuredly  be  well  if  the 
King  turned  his  thoughts  to  such  matters.  Hcniy 
observed,  that  Becket  should  have  the  merit  of  so 
charitable  a  deed  ;  and,  sportively  laying  hand  on  the 
Chancellor's  fine  scarlet  cloak,  lined  with  ermine,  suc- 
ceeded, after  a  tussle,  in  handing  it  to  the  mendicant, 
who  received  the  gift  with  equal  pleasure  and  sur- 
prise, while  the  courtiers  indulged  in  a  merry  laugh 
at  Becket' s  expense. 

More  serious  was  their  subsequent  struggle.  About 
1161  Becket  was  appointed  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
buiy,  and  jestingly  remarked,  "  A  fine  saint  I  shall 
make  I"  He  soon,  however,  became  an  altered  man, 
renounced  the  vanities  of  the  world,  repented  in  sack- 
cloth, subsisted  on  the  coarsest  fare,  and,  instead  of 
keeping  the  company  of  princes,  was  seen,  in  harvest, 
assisting  the  monks  of  rural  abbeys  to  make  their 
hay,  or  reap  their  corn.  Gradually,  from  a  champion 
of  the  royal  prerogative,  he  appeared  as  a  stickler  for 
the  privileges  of  the  priesthood,  and  assumed  toward 
Henry  an  attitude  of  hostility.  The  dignitaries  of  the 
Church  deserted  their  champion  in  the  hour  of  strife. 
The  bishops  took  part  with  the  King  ;  and  the  abbots, 
whispering  to  their  older  brethren  that  the  Primate 
was  going  too  far,  held  aloof  from  the  quarrel,  and 
cared  not  to  stir  beyond  the  regions  where  their 
abbeys,  shaded  by  trees  and  surrounded  by  gardens, 
reposed  in  peaceful  solitude.  But  Becket  had  won 
the  hearts  of  the  inferior  clergy,  and  became  the  idoJ 


144  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS,— fiNGLAND. 

of  the  English  people.  At  Northampton,  insulted  by 
the  King  and  disavowed  by  the  prelates,  he  gave  a 
sumptuous  banquet,  to  which  he  invited  the  poor, 
lowly,  and  needy  ;  and,  after  entertaining  them  hos- 
pitably, stole  away  to  the  Continent,  where  he  was 
supported  by  the  Pope  and  protected  by  the  King  of 
France,  both  of  whom  found  it  convenient  to  attempt 
a  reconciliation  between  the  contending  parties. 

Their  eflbrts  were  for  a  time  fruitless ;  but,  in 
1170,  a  congress  was  appointed  to  be  held  on  a  sum- 
mer day,  in  a  pleasant  meadow,  on  the  borders  of 
Touraine.  Henry  was  first  on  the  ground,  and  no 
sooner  espied  the  Archbishop  approaching  than  he 
set  spurs  to  his  steed,  and  saluted  him  cap  in  hand. 
They  discoursed  for  a  while  in  the  most  friendly  man- 
ner, and,  when  taking  leave,  Henry  even  bowed  his 
j)ride  to  hold  the  churchman's  stirrup.  Becket  then 
sailed  for  England,  where  his  arrival  was  hailed  with 
enthusiasm  by  the  populace  ;  but  three  bishops,  whom 
he  had  deposed,  repairing  to  the  Continent,  demanded 
redress  from  the  King,  and  represented  that  Becket 
was  setting  the  country  on  fire.  Henry,  as  sometimes 
happened,  lost  his  temper,  and  in  a  fit  of  violence 
muttered,  "  Will  no  one  rid  me  of  this  troublesome 
priest  ?"  Whereupon  four  knights,  construing  the  ex- 
pression literally,  crossed  the  sea,  hastened  to  Canter- 
bury, and  when  the  shades  of  a  December  evening 
had  fallen,  and  the  spacious  church  was  unlighted 
save  by  a  laiup  glimmering  before  the  shrine,   Ihey 


STRONGBOW'S  EXPEDITION  TO  IRELAND.     145 

rashly  slew  the  haughty  Archhishop  at  the  foot  of  the 
altar. 

While  Henry,  horrified  at  the  consequence  of  his 
hasty  words,  was  endeavoring,  through  envoys,  to 
make  his  peace  with  E-ome,  a  series  of  events  resulted 
in  the  subjugation  of  Ireland.  In  bygone  centuries 
that  rich  and  beautiful  island  had  been  the  seat  of  i 
learning  and  religion  ;  her  saints  had  been  famed  for 
their  piety,  and  her  ecclesiastics  venerated  throughout 
Christendom.  But  the  invasion  of  the  Danes  caused 
a  relapse  to  barbarism,  and  the  predatory  feuds  of  the 
chiefs  precluded  improvement.  An  active  trade,  how- 
ever, was  maintained  with  Bristol ;  and  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1 1G7,  while  Henry  was  struggling  with  Becket, 
there  landed  at  that  port  a  tail,  stout,  rough,  odd-look- 
ing man,  with  a  cunning  expression  about  the  mouth 
and  a  suspicious  glance  about  the  eye,  who  proclaimed 
himself  as  Dermot,  prince  of  Leinster,  and  express- 
ed an  ardent  desire  to  speak  with  the  King  of  En- 
gland. 

That  was  not  always  an  easy  matter ;  for  Hemy's 
movements  were  so  singularly  rapid,  that  his  enemies 
suspected  him  of  ubiquity.  But  Dermot  sought  out 
the  King  in  Aquitaine,  and  made  a  rambling  state- 
ment, to  the  efiect  that  the  beautiful  dame  of  a  certain 
chief,  named  O'Ruarc,  had  volunteered  to  play  the 
part  of  Helen ;  that  he,  albeit  somewhat  loath,  had 
consented  to  be  her  Paris ,  and  that  the  injured  hus- 
band had,  in  revenge,  driven  him  from  his  throne. 
K 


i46  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Henry,  with  the  image  of  Fair  Hosamond  iu  his  mem- 
ory, was  hardly  entitled  to  cast  a  stone  at  an  erring 
man ;  and  it  is  not  likely,  therefore,  that  he  took  his 
visitor  to  task  for  yielding  to  temptation  :  but  his  self- 
command  must  indeed  have  been  great,  if,  while  list- 
ening to  the  story  told  in  a  hoarse  voice,  and  while  sur- 
veying the  speaker's  exterior,  he  did  not  indulge  in  a 
smile  or  a  jest  to  conceal  his  surprise  at  the  Hibernian 
lady's  eccentricity  of  taste.  In  any  case,  having  no 
time  to  deal  with  the  affair  himself,  he  provided  his 
Irish  visitor  with  letters-patent,  permitting  any  of  his 
subjects  to  render  assistance. 

Thus  armed,  Dermot  hied  back  to  Bristol,  where  he 
rendered  himself  conspicuous  by  having  the  royal  letters 
publicly  read,  and  making  liberal  promises  to  obtain 
auxiliaries.  His  efforts  were  quite  vain,  till  chance 
threw  him  in  the  path  of  Richard  de  Clare,  better 
known  as  Strongbow,  earl  of  Pembroke.  A  bargain 
was  speedily  struck.  The  Norman  earl  undertook  to 
restore  Dermot  to  the  throne  of  Lcinster,  and  the  Irish 
king  engaged  to  bestow  upon  his  ally  the  hand  of  his 
daughter  and  heiress,  the  Pruicess  Eva.  Strongbow, 
having  been  preceded  by  a  part  of  his  forces,  sailed 
from  Milford  Haven,  captured  the  city  of  Waterford, 
led  to  the  altar  his  affianced  bride,  and  conquered  l 
large  part  of  the  country.  Henry,  by  no  means  rel- 
ishing the  news  of  a  subject  performing  so  much,  after 
some  preliminaries  conducted  an  army  to  Ireland  in 
1171,   and  personally  received  the   homage  of  the 


REBELLION   OF  THE   QUEEN.  147 

various  princes  among  whom  that  island  had  been 
divided. 

Meanwhile  the  King's  position  at  home  was  in  no 
respect  so  pleasant  as  a  bed  of  roses.  Though  he  had 
stood  for  forty-eight  hours,  fasting  and  barefooted,  on 
the  floor  of  the  cathedral  at  Canterbury,  where  Becket 
had  fallen,  and  even  endured  the  humiliation  of  being 
beaten  with  stripes  by  the  monks,  misfortune  seemed 
to  haunt  him.  dueen  Eleanor  and  her  sons  insti- 
gated by  Bertrand  de  Born,  the  knight,  poet,  and 
satirist,  rose  in  rebellion,  and  were  abetted  in  their 
unnatural  course  by  Louis  of  France.  At  the  same 
time,  in  concert  with  them,  William  the  Lion,  king 
pf  Scots,  invaded  Henry's  dominions,  and  committed 
cruel  depredations,  till  he  was  taken  prisoner,  while 
unwarily  tilting  in  a  field  near  Alnwick,  by  one  of  the 
vigilant  barons  of  the  North.  On  being  carried  to 
Normandy,  a  treaty  was  signed,  whereby  Scotland 
was  brought  under  vassalage,  and  Ermengard,  a  soft 
and  insinuating  kinswoman  of  Henry's,  was  given  in 
marriage  to  the  royal  Caledonian. 

Soon  after  this,  death  laid  low  several  of  the  royal 
family.  Young  Henry,  who  for  some  time  had  shared 
the  throne  with  his  sire,  was  seized,  while  leading  a 
rebel  army,  with  a  fever,  which  proved  fatal.  His 
brother,  Geoffrey,  father  of  the  ill-fated  Arthur  of, 
Brittany,  was  kiUed  in  a  tournament  at  Paris ;  and 
the  discovery,  while  on  the  bed  of  sickness,  that  "  the 
child  of  his  heart,"   John  Lackland,   had  conspired 


148  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— EJN GLAND. 

with  his  foes,  afflicted  the  King  so  deeply,  that,  at  tho 
age  of  fifty-seven,  he  closed,  with  feelings  of  anguish, 
a  life  spent  in  schemes  of  ambition. 

E-ichard  I.,  sumamed  Coeur  de  Lion,  having  attend- 
ed the  hearse  which  bore  his  father's  corpse  to  the 
Abbey  of  Foutrevalt,  repaired  to  England,  and  pre- 
pared for  a  crusade,  to  which  he  departed  in  three 
months.  While  he  was  absent  in  Palestine,  domineer- 
ing over  his  companions  in  arms,  or  working  like  a 
private  soldier  at  the  battering  engines,  or  breaking 
the  bones  of  Saracens  with  his  ponderous  battle-ax, 
England  became  the  scene  of  anarchy.  A  massacre 
of  the  Jews,  begun  in  London  on  the  coronation  day, 
was  repeated  in  several  towns ;  and  the.  struggles  for 
the  regency  between  Pudsey,  bishop  of  Durham,  and 
Longchamp,  bishop  of  Ely,  together  with  John's  as- 
pirations after  the  crown,  produced  endless  confusion. 
At  length,  in  1194,  Richard,  escaping  from  liis  prison, 
landed  at  Sandwich,  after  an  absence  of  four  years  ; 
but  he  immediately  left  England  to  carry  on  a  war 
against  his  continental  rival,  Philip  Augustus. 

Meantime  the  serious  discontent,  which  the  unequal 
pressure  of  taxation  had  long  caused  in  London,  ripen- 
ed into  a  popular  movement,  at  the  head  of  which 
was  "William  Fitzosbert,  sumamed  Longbeard.  Going 
to  Normandy,  he  had  an  audience  of  the  King,  and 
admitted  that  the  war  with  France  was  just,  but 
demanded  that  the  taxes  raised  to  prosecute  it  should 
fall  equally  on  rich  and  poor.     E-ichard  promised  re- 


LONGBEARD,    KING   OF  THE   POOR.  149 

dress ;  but  nothing  being  clone,  Longbeard  tried  sedi- 
tious courses,  harangued  mobs  daily  at  St.  Paul's 
Cross,  and  styled  himself  "  King  of  the  Poor."  The 
daring  demagogue,  after  being  twice  dragged  at  a 
horse's  tail,  was  hanged,  with  nine  of  his  confederates, 
on  a  gibbet  at  Smithfield.  Plague  and  famine  soon 
after  ravaged  the  land,  and  miserable  was  the  condi- 
tion of  its  inhabitants. 

"When  Richard  died  of  the  wounds  inflicted  by  the 
arrows  of  Bertrand  de  Gurdon,  Prince  John  was  pro- 
claimed king  ;  and  it  appears — so  small  was  the  inter- 
est taken  by  the  English  in  the  disputed  succession 
— that  the  name  of  Arthur  of  Brittany  was  not  even 
mentioned  when  his  uncle  was  crowned.  But  when 
that  hapless  prince  had  been  murdered,  and  John 
chased  from  the  Continent  by  Philip  Augustus,  the 
spirit  of  freedom  was  aroused,  and  feelings  of  mutual 
interest  united  the  Norman  barons  and  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  people  against  a  sovereign  at  once  base,  defiant, 
and  cowardly. 

At  this  critical  period  John  chose  to  brave  the  wrath 
of  Rome  by  exiling  Stephen  Langton,  whom  the  Pope 
had  appointed  to  the  see  of  Canterbury,  and  driving 
out  the  monks  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  The  king- 
dom was,  in  consequence,  laid  under  interdict,  the 
King  was  deposed,  and  the  subjects  were  absolved 
from  allegiance.  The  anointed  craven  was  so  terrified 
at  the  consequence  of  his  defiance,  that  he  solemnly 
and  abjectly  went  on  his  knees  to  the  papal  legate, 


150  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

and  resigned  his  crown  to  the  supreme  Pontiff.  The 
Pope  thereupon  changed  sides ;  but  the  spirit  of  En- 
ghsh  freedom,  which  now  animated  both  races,  was 
too  strong  to  be  resisted.  The  burghers  of  the  realm 
formed  an  aUiance  with  the  barons,  and  the  barons 
marching  to  the  capital,  were  joined  by  knights  and 
nobles  from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom. 

The  heart  of  the  tyrant  shrank  within  him,  and 
he  consented  to  grant  all  the  rights  and  liberties  re- 
quired. Accordingly,  on  a  morning  in  June,  1215, 
the  dastard  King  met  the  Barons  of  England — for 
such  they  now  prided  themselves  on  being — at  K,un- 
nymede,  a  green  field  near  Windsor,  hard  by  the  river 
Thames,  and  there  was  presented  to  him  that  immor- 
tal scroll  known  as  Magna  Clmrta,  in  which  the 
privileges  of  the  clergy,  the  rights  of  the  barons,  and 
the  liberties  of  the  people,  were  formally  and  solemnly 
recognized.  John,  considering  it  no  time  to  be  squeam- 
ish, signed  the  charter,  as  well  as  that  regarding 
forests,  with  the  utmost  promptitude  ;  but  the  barons, 
having  no  reliance  on  his  good  faith,  compelled  him 
to  name  twenty-five  of  their  number  as  conservators 
of  the  hard- won  privileges. 

John,  having  no  intention  of  submitting  to  the  re, 
Btraint  imposed,  soon  gave  indications  of  defying  th« 
terms  dictated.  After  a  futile  attempt  to  surprise 
London,  he  gloomily  retired  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and 
dispatched  agents  to  the  Pope,  who  readily  absolved 
his  vassal  from  the  oath  by  which  he  had  confirmed 


MAGNA  CHARTA. 


MAGNA  CHARTA.  153 

the  charters,  and  directed  fulminations  against  the 
refractory  barons.  Thus  encouraged,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  mercenary  soldiers  from  the  Continent, 
John  besieged  the  baronial  castles  near  London,  and 
then  marched  to  the  north,  where  the  Lords  De  Vesci, 
Pe  Ros,  and  Percy,  were  peculiarly  contumacious. 
The  cause  of  the  barons  appeared  desperate ;  for, 
though  they  could  have  made  head  against  a  royal 
army  composed  of  hirelings,  the  spiritual  artillery  of 
Rome  palsied  their  eflbrts,  and,  in  extreme  perplexity, 
they  formed  an  alliance  with  Philip  of  France,  and 
offered  the  crown  to  his  son  Louis. 

Philip  grasped  at  the  proposal;  and  in  May,  1216, 
Louis,  with  a  gallant  army,  set  foot  on  the  shores  of 
England.  After  taking  the  castle  of  Rochester,  the 
French  prince  advanced  to  London.  The  nobles  and 
citizens,  receiving  him  with  joy,  conducted  him  cere- 
moniously to  St.  Paul's,  where  prayers  were  said  and 
homage  performed.  John,  abandoned  by  his  army 
and  menaced  by  the  King  of  Scots,  was  in  despair  • 
but  his  days  were  numbered.  Overtaken  by  the  tide, 
while  crossing  the  Wash  in  Lincolnshire,  the  cruel 
and  faithless  tyrant  was  so  disconsolate  at  the  loss  of 
his  regalia,  baggage,  and  treasure,  that  he  sought 
shelter  for  the  night  in  the  Abbey  of  Swinehead. 
There  he  ate  so  ravenously  of  fruit,  and  drank  so 
copiously  of  cider,  that  he  was  seized  next  day  with 
a  fever,  of  which  he  died  in  agony  and  remorse. 

Henry  IIL,  son  of  the  deceased  king,  a  boy  of  eight 


154  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

was  crowned  at  Gloucester,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke  ;  and  being  deserted  by  his  mother, 
Isabel  of  Angouleme,  who  rushed  off  to  the  Continent 
in  search  of  another  husband,  he  soon  became  an  ob- 
ject of  interest  to  the  nation.  Thus  there  arose  a 
feeling,  which  the  clergy,  under  the  inspiration  of 
the  Pope's  legate,  turned  to  account.  Every  Sunday 
the  sentence  of  excommunication  was  fulminated  in 
the  parish  churches  against  the  English  barons  and 
the  French  prince.  The  very  helplessness  of  the  royal 
boy  touched  the  hearts  of  the  people  ;  the  barons  grad- 
ually gathered  round  him  ;  Louis,  after  a  vain  strug- 
gle, sailed  for  France ;  and  the  administration  of  af- 
fairs was  confided  to  Pembroke,  a  nobleman  whose 
courage,  wisdom,  and  moderation  pleased  all  parties. 
Then  the  boy-king,  entering  London  amidst  the  cheers 
of  the  citizens,  granted  them  a  new  charter,  and  was 
crowned  by  Stephen  Langton  with  the  golden  diadem 
of  Edward  the  Confessor. 

In  1239,  when  Henry  had  arrived  at  years,  with- 
out learning  discretion,  there  came  from  beyond  sea  a 
queen,  in  the  person  of  Eleanor  of  Provence,  bringing 
with  her  such  a  swarm  of  foreigners,  male  and  female, 
that  the  English,  who  had  already  resented  the  King's 
continental  sympathies,  were,  with  much  reason, 
alarmed.  The  men  were  provided  with  baronies  at 
the  public  cost,  while  their  fair  sisters  selected  hus- 
bands from  among  the  young  noblemen  who  happened 
to  be  royal  wards.     These  Gascon  adventurers  of  both 


BARONIAL   REVOLT.  155 

sexes  exercised  a  baneful  influence  over  the  King, 
grasped  at  the  highest  dignities,  and  emancipated 
themselves  from  all  respect  for  charters  by  frankly 
declaring  that  English  laws  were  nothuig  to  them. 
So  slight  was  Henry's  regard  for  appearances,  that,  in 
1253,  when  about  to  embark  for  Guienne,  there  to 
encounter  the  King  of  Castile,  he  committed  the  cus- 
tody of  the  Great  Seal  to  dueen  Eleanor ;  and  thus 
might  have  been  seen  a  lady  judge  presiding  in  the 
Court  of  Chancery,  sitting  in  the  old  marble  chair, 
over  against  the  marble  table,  and  executing  the  du- 
ties of  an  office  which,  up  to  that  date,  had  been  held 
by  churchmen  of  eminence  or  warriors  of  renown. 

At  length,  in  1258,  affairs  arrived  at  a  crisis.  A 
famine  had  brought  the  nation  to  the  verge  of  despair  ; 
the  people  unhesitatingly  ascribed  all  their  wretched- 
ness to  the  foreign  courtiers  ;  and  in  May  a  parliament 
assemmed  at  Westminster.  Henrj',  when  entering 
the  Hall  of  Audience,  which  had  been  built  by  Wil- 
liam Rufus,  was  surprised  to  hear  the  rattling  of 
swords,  and  to  observe  that  the  barons  were  sheathed 
in  steel.  Resistance  was  out  of  the  question  ;  they 
compelled  the  impotent  King,  whose  hereditary  antip- 
athy to  the  constitution  was  notorious,  to  delegate 
the  regal  functions  to  twenty-four  of  their  league  ;  and 
these  potentiaries  were  headed  by  Simon  de  Montfort, 
the  famous  Earl  of  Leicester. 

Montfort,  a  younger  son  of  that  leader  of  the  crusade 
against  the  Albigenses,  who  had  fallen  in  his  harness 


156  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

before  Toulouse,  had  succeeded  to  the  earldom  of  Lei- 
cester, as  heir  to  his  mother,  and  wedded  a  sister  of 
King  Henry.  But  though  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  he 
endeared  himself  so  much  to  the  barons  and  people 
of  England,  that  they  overlooked  his  foreign  origin, 
and  regarded  him  as  the  champion  of  liberty.  He 
had  long  since  quarreled  with  the  King,  had  no  fa- 
vors to  expect  from  the  court,  and  was  eager  for  the 
reform  of  abuses.  Montfort  first  remodeled  the  Par- 
liament, by  summoning  a  certain  number  of  knights 
chosen  from  each  county  ;  but  the  representatives  thus 
elected  disliked  the  great  baron's  authority  so  much 
that  they  determined  on  restoring  Henry  to  power. 

In  fact,  though  the  humbled  monarch  was  a  man 
of  a  feeble  understanding  and  a  credulous  disposition, 
the  royal  family  contained  one  prince  of  intrepid  spirit 
in  action,  and  with  rare  talents  for  conumand.  Ed- 
ward, the  King's  eldest  son,  had  first  seen  the  light  in 
1239,  and  been  named  after  the  Confessor,  whom 
Henry  regarded  as  his  tutelar  samt.  In  1255,  the 
Prince  had  married  Eleanor  of  Castile,  who,  a  few 
years  later,  when  her  husband's  life  was  imperiled  in 
Palestine  by  the  envenomed  dagger  of  an  assassin,  is 
reported  to  have  proved  her  conjugal  devotion  by  suck- 
ing the  poison  from  the  wound.  To  this  gallant  youth 
the  knights  of  the  shire  complained  of  the  ruling 
barons  having  done  nothing  for  the  benefit  of  the  state, 
but  every  thing  for  their  own  advantage  ;  and  Prince 
Edward  answered,  that  he  would  stand  by  the  gentle- 


MONTFORT'S   SWAY.  157 

men  of  England  to  the  last  drop  of  his  blood.  In  or- 
der to  make  good  this  promise,  Edward  raised  a  for- 
midable force,  and  encountered  Montfort  at  Lewes,  in 
Sussex,  where  the  royal  army  was  totally  defeated, 
and  both  the  King  and  the  Prince  taken  prisoners. 
Upon  this,  Montfort  assumed  the  position  of  governor 
of  the  realm  ;  and  having,  by  threats  of  electing  a 
new  king,  compelled  Henry  solemnly  to  recognize  his 
authority,  assembled  a  Parliament,  summoning  two 
knights  from  each  county,  and  representatives  from 
all  the  principal  boroughs,  thus  reconstructing  the 
immemorial  assembly,  since  so  widely  renowned  as 
the  House  of  Commons. 

The  Earl's  supremacy  was  so  little  agreeable  to  his 
peers,  that  some  of  them,  among  whom  was  Gilbert 
de  Clare,  earl  of  Gloucester,  conspired  to  effect  his 
downfall.  Montfort,  aware  of  their  plot,  went  west- 
ward, with  the  King  and  the  Prince  as  prisoners  in 
his  train,  to  punish  Gloucester  ;  but  while  keeping 
his  court  during  Whitsun  week,  within  the  walls  of 
Hereford,  a  circumstance  occurred  which  opened  up 
a  new  and  interestmg  scene. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  the  28th  of  May, 
1265,  Prince  Edward,  attended  by  his  guards  and 
escorted  by  a  number  of  young  knights,  rode  forth 
from  the  ancient  city,  as  if  to  divert  a  few  hours  of 
his  irksome  captivity  with  equestrian  exercise.  The 
prince,  who  had  then  seen  about  twenty-six  summers, 
looked  by  far  the  most  remarkable  man  in  the  com- 


158  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

pany.  His  countenance  was  comely,  his  complexion 
dark,  liis  hair  black  and  -curling,  his  frame  strong, 
though  slender,  his  stature  taller  by  a  head  and  shoul- 
ders than  ordinary  men,  and  his  eye  brillant  with  fire, 
thought,  and  intelligence.  The  steed  he  bestrode  was 
not  unworthy  of  such  a  rider ;  for  it  had  been  lately 
presented  to  him  as  a  mark  of  respect  by  Roger  de 
Mortimer,  with  a  significant  hint  that  its  fleetness 
might  be  depended  on  in  case  of  need.  And  then 
that  frank,  handsome  personage,  whose  affable  con- 
versation— whether  relating  to  the  field-sports,  which 
he  well  loved,  or  to  the  feats  of  prowess  displayed  at 
the  French  tournament,  in  which  he  took  part  four 
years  earlier — had  inspired  those  around  him,  though 
publicly  his  enemies,  with  affection  for  his  person  and 
pity  for  his  misfortunes,  pitposed  to  test  the  speed  of 
their  chargers  on  Widraarsh.  Giving  his  own  steed 
to  be  held  by  a  page,  he  rode  so  many  matches  him- 
self, one  after  another,  that  when  the  shades  of  even- 
ing began  to  fall,  there  was  no  fresh  horse  on  the 
ground  but  his  own  noble  animal,  which  proudly 
pawed  the  ground  at  a  short  distance.  Suddenly,  on 
the  ascent  of  Tulington  Hill,  a  man  riding  a  white 
horse  appeared,  and  waved  his  bonnet.  Prince  Ed- 
ward said  nothing  ;  but  mounting  his  steed,  he  cour- 
teously bade  adieu  to  his  keepers,  and  spurred  off  at 
a  pace  which  rendered  pursuit  vain.  His  guards  did 
indeed,  as  in  duty  bound,  make  an  attempt  to  follow  ; 
but  they  were  glad  to  turn  back,  when  out  of  a  wood 


PRINCE   EDWARD'S   ESCAPE.  159 

sallied  Roger  de  Mortimer,  and  joyously  conducted 
the  Prince  to  the  castle  of  Wigmore.  At  Ludlow 
they  joined  the  Earl  of  Gloucester ;  and  the  royal 
standard  being  there  set  up,  Edward  soon  found  liim« 
self  at  the  head  of  a  gallant  army. 

Montfort,  who  had  endeavored  to  terrify  the  Prince 
by  a  threat  of  perpetual  imprisonment,  no  sooner  heard 
of  the  escape  than  he  issued  orders  for  a  general  ren- 
dezvous at  Gloucester — a  city  which  he  had  strongly 
fortified  ;  but  ere  the  appointed  day  arrived,  Edward, 
after  besieging  the  place  for  a  week,  forced  his  way 
into  it  through  a  wall  of  the  abbot'«  orchard.  Mont- 
fort thereupon  invoked  the  aid  of  Llewellyn,  the  Cam- 
brian prince,  who  sent  forward  a  band  of  Welshmen, 
and  commenced  pillaging  the  Marches.  Montfort  ad- 
vanced to  Monmouth,  demolished  the  castle,  and  after 
a  considerable  delay  was  enabled  to  cross  the  Severn, 
and  reach  Evesham  on  the  Avon,  where  he  expected 
the  arrival  of  his  eldest  son,  but  meantime  the  latter 
was  attacked  and  defeated  by  the  Prince  at  Kenil- 
worth. 

Unconscious  of  that  fatal  disaster,  Montfort  was  in- 
formed at  sunrise,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  August, 
that  the  bamiers  of  his  son  were  rapidly  advancing, 
and  ascending  a  tower  he  computed  the  numbers  of 
the  approacliing  force.  On  discovering  that  it  was 
the  royal  army  marching  under  the  captured  colors,  he 
remarked — "  These  men  come  on  bravely  ;  they  have 
learned  that  from  me  :"  and  then  turning  to  his  friends 


160  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

he  exclaimed,  "  The  Lord  have  mercy  on  our  souls  ; 
for  the  Prince  will  have  our  bodies  I"  After  taking  the 
sacrament,  as  was  his  wont  in  seasons  of  peril,  Mont- 
fort  prepared  for  battle.  Fierce  was  the  strife,  till  his 
horse  was  killed  under  him.  He  cried  for  quarter ; 
but  being  told  there  was  none  for  such  a  traitor,  fought 
on  foot  till  he  was  cut  down,  sword  in  hand.  With 
this  famous  baron,  who  was  long  after  venerated  by 
the  people  as  Sir  Simon  the  Righteous,  fell  a  multitude 
of  nobles,  knights,  and  gentlemen. 

Prince  Edward,  having  restored  Henry  III.  to  the 
throne,  assumed  the  cross,  and  followed  his  maternal 
uncle.  Saint  Louis  of  France,  on  his  last  crusade  to 
the  East.  There  the  victor  of  Evesham  gave  fresh 
proofs  of  his  valor  in  the  field  and  his  capacity  for 
afiairs.  He  had  concluded  an  advantageous  truce 
with  the  Sultan  of  Babylon,  and  was  at  a  village  in 
Calabria,  on  his  way  home,  when  informed  that  his 
royal  father  had  closed  his  perturbed  career. 

The  condition  of  England,  from  the  Norman  con- 
quest to  the  close  of  Henry's  reign,  had  been  miser- 
able. The  country  had  been  infested  by  bands  of 
outlaws  who  laid  waste  entire  villages ;  even  the 
officers  of  the  royal  household  had  shifted  for  a  living 
on  the  public  highway.  The  castles  of  the  Normans 
had  been,  in  many  cases,  like  garrisons  in  a  hostile 
country,  and  regarded  as  the  abodes  of  tyranny  and 
cruelty.  The  weak  and  timid  had  been  so  frequently 
exposed  to  peril  and  injury,  that  even  ladies  found  it 


ACCESSION    OF   THE    FIRST   EDWARD.       161 

expedient  to  accomplish  themselves  in  martial  exer- 
cises. The  authority  of  the  Norman  sovereigns  had 
been  too  fluctuating  to  be  beneficially  felt,  and  the 
laws  too  feeble  to  afford  redress.  On  Henry's  death  a 
new  scene  was  to  be  presented.  His  son  came  from 
romantic  adventures  in  the  East,  and  hair-breadth  es- 
capes on  the  Continent,  to  redeem  the  kingdom  from 
anarchy  and  confusion  ;  to  render  its  inhabitants  more 
prosperous  than  ever  they  had  been  before ;  to  popu- 
larize his  dynasty  and  his  race  ;  to  induce  the  Men  of 
the  Forest — the  successors  of  Robin  Hood — to  forsake 
their  haunts,  and  draw  their  bows  of  trusty  yew 
against  the  enemies  of  their  country  ;  and  to  win  for 
himself,  by  his  admirable  laws,  the  proud  title  of  the 
English  Justinian. 

In  August,  1274,  after  an  absence  of  years,  Ed- 
ward and  his  excellent  queen  landed  at  Dover,  and 
prepared  to  present  themselves  in  the  capital.  Per- 
haps he  might  have  misgivings  as  to  his  reception 
there  ;  for,  in  other  days,  the  Londoners  had  been  on 
the  point  of  drowning  his  mother  as  a  witch  ;  and  in 
retaliation  he  had,  on  the  downs  at  Lewes,  marked 
out  their  militia  as  the  objects  of  his  fiercest  attack. 
Now,  however,  all  was  forgiven  ;  and  the  royal  pair 
were  welcomed  with  signs  of  love  and  honor.  The 
Etreets  were  gayly  hung  with  silks  and  tapestry  ;  wine 
flowed  in  bucketfuls  ;  and  the  municipal  functiona- 
ries manifested  their  joy  by  throwing  from  the  win- 
dows handfuls  of  gold  and  silver.  The  people,  who 
L 


162  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENOLAND. 

had  recovered  their  ancient  spirit  of  loyalty,  were 
proud,  as  they  well  might  be,  of  a  monarch  in  tht 
prime  of  manhood,  so  famous  and  so  majestic  ;  and 
they  felt  that,  after  an  interval  of  two  centuries,  the 
crown  at  length  rested  on  the  brows  of  a  prmce  who 
was  animated  by  an  English  heart  and  guided  by  pop- 
ular sympathies. 

When  Edward  was  crowned,  with  imprecedented 
magnificence,  in  the  Abbey  of  Westminster,  the  man 
most  likely  to  create  disturbance  was  Llewellyn, 
prince  of  North  Wales ;  who,  unlike  the  King  of 
Scots,  failed  to  attend  and  swear  allegiance.  Soon 
after,  the  Cambrian  chief's  affianced  bride — a  daugh- 
ter of  his  old  ally,  the  great  Montfort — being  intercept- 
ed on  her  passage  from  the  Continent,  was  retained 
in  gentle  captivity  about  the  person  of  the  Q,ueen. 
Llewellyn,  enraged,  fell  with  fire  and  sword  on  the 
English  Marches ;  and  in  1277,  Edward,  repairing 
to  Chester,  crossed  the  Dee  at  Midsummer,  and  re- 
duced the  Welsh  to  the  necessity  of  suing  for  peace. 

Thus,  when  the  season  of  Christmas  arrived,  Lle- 
wellyn appeared  in  Loudon  to  render  homage,  and 
with  him  the  chieftains  of  Snowdon,  whose  retinues 
were  so  inconveniently  numerous,  that  they  were 
lodged  at  Islington  and  the  adjoining  villages.  Tlio 
testy  strangers  soon  began  to  grumble.  The  mode 
of  living,  they  said,  was  not  agreeable  ;  the  supply 
of  milk  was  stinted ;  the  ale  and  wine  were  not  to 
their   liking ;    and  the  derisive    curiosity  excited   in 


CONQUEST   OF  WALES.  163 

public  places  by  their  xiucoutli  appearance,  wounded 
their  national  vanity.  Under  the  pressure  of  such 
annoyances  they  conspired  to  rebel,  and  on  return- 
ing to  their  mountain  homes  inflamed  their  kinsmen 
against  English  rule.  Evening  after  evening  the  sept, 
circling  round  their  harper,  listened  with  delight  to 
songs  about  their  mystic  Arthur,  and  glowed  with  en- 
thusiasm at  predictions  of  his  return  from  Fairyland 
to  vindicate  their  rights,  redress  their  wrongs,  and 
render  their  race,  as  Cambrian  bards  expressed  it, 
"  the  crown  of  Britain."  Llewellyn,  while  gratify- 
ing their  superstitious  ideas  by  opening  Arthur's  tomb, 
yet  expressed  himself  in  terms  so  plausible,  that  the 
English  King  not  only  treated  him  with  kindness,  but 
gave  back  his  Norman  bride,  and  bestowed  a  barony 
on  his  brother  David. 

A  few  years  passed,  and  in  the  spring  of  1281  Ed- 
ward was  reposing  at  Devizes,  whither  a  messenger 
spurred  with  the  intelligence  that,  on  the  stormy 
night  of  Palm  Sunday,  the  castle  of  Hawarden  had 
been  surprised,  and  its  garrison  put  to  the  sword,  by 
David  of  Wales.  Edward  at  first  refused  to  believe 
this  of  a  man  whom  he  had  reared  and  enriched  ;  but 
when  convinced  that  the  Marches  were  blazing  with 
fires  and  deluged  with  blood,  resolving  to  be  no  longer 
trifled  with,  he  vowed  to  make  a  final  conquest  of  the 
provinces.  The  enterprise  was  not  accomplished  with- 
out difficulty  ;  but  at  length,  by  patience  and  persever- 
ance, the  English  prevailed.     Llewellyn  was  slain  in 


JC4  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

a  fight  in  the  valley  of  the  Wye ;  David,  being  cap- 
tured, was  executed  as  a  traitor ;  and  the  Welsh  sub- 
mitted, after  having  held  out  for  eight  long  centuries 
against  Saxon  and  Norman.  To  conciliate  their  af- 
fections, the  King  presented  to  them  his  second  son, 
Edward — then  an  infant  in  the  castle  of  Caernarvon 
— as  a  native  prince  who  could  not  speak  a  word  of 
Enghsh.  But  shortly  after,  the  death  of  Prince  Al- 
phonso — Edward's  eldest  son,  a  boy  much  admired 
for  his  beauty  and  courage — made  young  Edward 
heir  to  the  crown,  and  from  that  date  the  King's  eld- 
est son  has  borne  the  title  of  Prince  of  Wales. 

About  the  time  when  Edward  succeeded  in  re- 
ducing Wales,  important  events  occurred  in  North 
Britain.  Scotland  was  a  province  widely  different 
from  that  which  he  had  just  subjugated  ;  and  it  did 
not,  in  any  respect,  present  the  same  scene  as  when 
Hengist  drove  its  barbarous  tribes  to  their  sterile 
mountains,  or  when  the  expatriated  Saxons  sought 
an  asylum  within  its  borders.  The  Picts  and  Scots 
— long  antagonistic  races — had  become  as  one  people, 
and  inhabited  the  regions  north  of  the  Forth.  Gal- 
loway had  been  annexed  to  the  crown ;  and  Fergus, 
its  last  prince,  forced  to  drag  out  his  existence  in  the 
cloisters  of  Holyrood.  Lothian,  after  forming  part  of 
Northumberland,  had  been  restored  on  condition  of 
the  inhabitants  retaining  their  English  customs  and 
language ;  and  thither  had  such  multitudes  of  exiles 
been  driven  or  tempted  northward  after  the  conquest, 


AFFAIRS    OF   SCOTLAND.  165 

that  from  the  Frith  of  Forth  to  the  Tweed's  fair  bor- 
ders the  population  boasted  of  Norman,  Saxon,  and 
Danish  blood.  Several  noblemen  had  acquired  fiefs 
and  exercised  influence  in  both  kingdoms  ;  districts 
formerly  barren  had  been  cultivated  ;  and  arts  tend- 
ing to  polish  the  aborigines  had  been  introduced.  Da- 
vid I.,  contemporary  with  Stephen,  had  done  much  in 
the  process  of  civilization.  During  his  long  reign  had 
been  founded,  endoM'ed,  and  tenanted  Avith  monks 
from  beyond  the  seas,  the  magnificent  abbeys  of  Mel- 
rose, Dryburgh,  and  various  other  places.  Orchards 
and  gardens  had  rapidly  appeared.  Towns  had  arisen, 
in  Avhich  bluff  burghers,  by  foreign  trade,  acquired 
vast  wealth.  Feudal  castles  had  been  erected,  with- 
in whose  walls  belted  barons  gave  sumptuous  feasts, 
and  bright  ladies,  arrayed  in  rich  garments,  sighed  or 
wept  at  the  melting  strains  drawn  by  Saxon  bards 
from  magic  harps.  While  the  country  was  in  this 
condition,  the  third  Alexander,  last  of  the  Scottish 
kings,  was  killed,  in  1286,  by  a  fall  with  his  horse 
over  a  steep  cliff,  while  galloping  in  a  dark  night 
near  Kinghorn,  in  Fife.  He  left  no  heirs  except  his 
infant  grand-daughter,  the  Maiden  of  Norway  ;  and 
many  of  the  Scottish  magnates  refusing  to  accept 
a  female  as  their  sovereign,  rendered  her  succession 
doubtful. 

Thus  it  happened  that  while  Edward  was  in 
France,  during  the  year  1289,  there  came  to  him 
embassadors  from  Eric,  king  of  Norway,  craving  pro- 


166  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

tection  for  his  daughter,  and  from  the  ParHaraent  of 
Scotland,  requesting  aid  to  terminate  their  intestine 
disorders.  Their  negotiations  resulted  in  the  Maiden 
of  Norway  being  betrothed  to  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  setting  sail  from  her  native  shores  in  1290.  But 
falling  sick  during  the  voyage,  the  infant  Q,ueen  of 
Scots  vias  taken  ashore  at  the  Orkneys,  and  there 
expired  in  her  eighth  year. 

Thirteen  claimants  appearing  for  the  vacant  throne, 
King  Edward  was  invited  to  arbitrate  ;  and  going  to 
the  Borders,  he,  after  several  prehminary  meetings, 
assembled  the  prelates,  nobles,  and  knights,  of  both 
countries  in  the  castle  of  Berwick,  where  the  various 
claims  were  duly  considered,  and  found  untenable, 
save  those  of  Baliol,  Bruce,  and  Hastings.  Ulti- 
mately the  preference  was  awarded  to  John  Bahol, 
who,  after  swearing  fealty  to  the  English  king,  was 
crovnied  on  the  stone  of  destiny  in  the  regal  halls  of 
Scone. 

Edward  was  careful  that  the  Scots  should  feel  the 
power  they  had  acknowledged,  and  treated  their  new 
king  with  so  much  rigor,  that  Baliol  declined  the 
royal  summons  to  repair  to  Gascony,  formally  re- 
nounced his  allegiance,  and  allied  himself  with  Philip 
of  France. 

The  King  of  England,  when  thus  defied,  was  re- 
pressing some  outrages  in  Wales  ;  and  he  soon  after- 
ward marched  northward  with  an  army  of  forty 
thousand  men.     Halting  at  Newcastle,  he  summoned 


SCOTTISH  WARS.  167 

Baliol  thither  ;  but  receiving  no  answer,  he  proceeded 
to  Barnburgh,  where  he  was  exasperated  with  one  of 
those  occurrences  which  prove  that  history  is  stranger 
and  more  capricious  than  fiction. 

Robert  De  E.os,  the  young  lord  of  Wark,  descended 
from  the  old  hero  of  that  name,  whose  effigy  may  still 
be  seen  in  the  Temple  Church,  became  so  violently 
enamored  of  a  Scottish  lady,  that,  abandoning  his 
castle,  he  went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  leading  the 
garrison  of  Roxburgh,  assaulted  the  advance  guard  of 
the  English  army  while  they  were  encamped  for  the 
night  at  a  Border  village.  The  attack  was  so  sudden, 
that  the  leader  with  difficulty  escaped  to  the  English 
army  to  tell  of  the  disaster,  which  kindled  the  King's 
ire.  He  thanked  God  that  his  enemies  had  begun 
the  war,  and  without  delay  led  his  whole  forces  to 
Wark. 

Within  that  strong  castle,  situated  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Tweed,  Edward  kept  the  festival  of  Easter, 
and  revolved  his  plans  for  the  subjugation  of  Scotland. 
Many  of  her  chief  nobles  were  favorable  to  his  views  ; 
and  among  these  Patrick,  earl  of  Dunbar  and  March, 
was  in  authority  the  first.  The  feudal  house  of  which 
he  was  the  head  had  been  founded  by  Cospatrick,  a 
Saxon  prince,  who  sought  refuge  after  the  Conquest 
at  the  court  of  Malcolm  Canmore.  The  Earls  of 
Dunbar  had  hitherto,  in  peace  and  war,  exercised  no 
inconsiderable  influence  on  the  afl^airs  of  Scotland ; 
but  their  hearts  had  lingered  in  the  land  where  their 


168  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

ancestors  had  held  sway  ;  and  the  Earl,  whose  powei 
on  the  Marches  was  supreme,  now  came  to  Wark, 
with  his  kinsman  Robert  Bruce,  and  Gilbert,  carl 
of  Angus,  to  renew  the  oath  of  fealty  to  the  English 
King. 

Thus  strengthened,  Edward  crossed  the  Tweed, 
took  Berwick,  defeated  a  Scottish  army  at  Dunbar, 
accepted  Bahol's  resignation  of  the  croAvn  at  Perth, 
and  formally  received  the  allegiance  of  the  nobles  and 
clergy.  Soon  after  the  national  records  were  delivered 
to  Cressingham,  the  English  treasurer  ;  the  chair  on 
which  the  Scottish  kings  had  from  time  immemorial 
been  crowned  was  carried  out  of  the  realm  ;  and  the 
banner  of  St.  George  was  waved  in  triumph  over 
every  castle  in  the  fertile  Lothians. 

At  this  conjuncture  arose  William  Wallace,  repre- 
sented as  a  leader  of  prodigious  strength,  gigantic 
stature,  pleasing  aspect,  and  popular  address.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  knight  who  had  been  slain  while 
fighting  on  his  knees  against  the  English.  Young 
Wallace,  the  inheritor  of  his  sire's  animosity  to 
Southern  domination,  had  slain  an  Englishman  of 
noble  parentage  and  been  outlawed.  He  now  pre- 
sented himself  in  the  character  of  a  Scottish  patriot, 
and  the  vanquished  party  rallied  round  him  as  their 
captain. 

The  martial  King  of  England  had  gone  to  appease 
some  discontents  of  his  nobles  and  clergy,  before  un- 
dertaking a  war  against  France.    Those  whom  he  had 


EXPLOITS    OF   WALLACE.  1G9 

left  in  authority  were  charged  with  errors  as  well 
as  excesses,  and  the  malcontent  Scots  deemed  the 
period  propitious  for  an  outbreak.  Wallace,  joined 
by  the  Lord  Douglas,  marched  to  Scone,  and  expelled 
the  garrison  ;  the  fascination  of  his  successful  exploits 
now  drew  around  him  many  who  had  hitherto  shrunk 
back ;  and  the  insurgents  were  joined  by  the  youn- 
ger Bruce,  the  Stewarts,  and  other  persons  of  emi- 
nence. 

Edward,  on  learning  of  these  occurrences,  ordered 
Warrene,  earl  of  Surrey,  the  guardian  of  Scotland,  to 
suppress  the  insurrection  without  delay ;  and  the 
militia  north  of  the  Trent  were  called  out  for  that 
purpose.  AVarrene  sent  forward  his  nephew,  who, 
entering  Scotland,  compelled  the  combined  chieftains 
to  surrender.  There  was,  however,  one  exception, 
and  that  was  Wallace,  Avho,  after  defeating  Warrene's 
army  while  passing  over  a  wooden  bridge  near  Stir- 
ling, dashed  on  to  Edinburgh,  dismantled  the  strong- 
holds m  Lothian,  and  compelled  the  fighting  men  to 
enter  England  in  hostile  array.  He  then  ravaged 
Northumberland,  killed  many  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
secured  much  spoil ;  but,  after  being  successfully  de- 
fied by  the  townsmen  of  Newcastle,  he  deemed  it  pru- 
dent to  beat  a  retreat. 

Meantime,  King  Edward  having  concluded  a  truce 
with  France,  came  from  Flanders,  convened  a  parlia- 
ment at  York,  and  appointed  a  general  rendezvous  of 
his  forces  at  Midsummer,  when  he  led  an  army  against 


170  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

the  Scots.  On  the  21st  of  July,  1298,  while  encamp- 
ed at  the  village  of  Kirkliston,  he  was  informed  that 
the  Scots  were  in  the  wood  at  Falkirk,  and  gave  orders 
for  marchuig  in  that  direction.  At  this  crisis  it  was 
reported  to  him,  that  the  Welsh  in  his  army  meditated 
deserting  to  the  Scots.  "  I  care  not  a  jot,"  exclaimed 
Edward,  wdth  lofty  disdain  ;  "  let  them  go,  and  on  one 
field  I  will  chastise  all  mine  enemies."  Next  day  he 
came  up  with  the  enemy,  and  a  bloody  battle  took 
place.  The  Scots,  for  a  time,  stood  their  ground 
bravely  ;  but,  after  losing  fifteen  thousand  men,  Wal- 
lace fled  from  the  field,  and  burned  the  town  of  Stir- 
ling in  his  way.  Nevertheless  he  continued  in  arms 
till  1304,  when  he  was  betrayed,  and  conveyed  to 
London,  where,  after  being  tried  in  the  great  hall 
at  Westminster,  he  was  condemned  as  a  traitor,  and 
executed.  His  head  was  placed  on  a  pole  over  Lon- 
don Bridge,  and  his  legs  and  arras  were  sent  to  be 
pubhcly  exhibited  in  the  principal  towns  of  the  North. 
Next  year.  King  Edward  published  an  act  of  grace 
to  the  offenders,  and  calculated  on  the  duration  of 
peace ;  but  at  this  period  a  new  champion  presented 
himself  to  the  strugghng  Scots,  in  the  person  of  E.ob- 
ert  Bruce,  the  Norman  Earl  of  Carrick.  Bi-uce  was 
grandson  of  the  baron  of  that  name  who  had  formerly 
claimed  the  crown  ;  and  he  was  of  Scandui  avian  an- 
cestry, extraordinary  capacit)',  a  knightly  and  active 
frame,  and  in  the  flower  of  Iris  age.  He  had  hitherto 
figured  as  a  waverer  between  the  contending  parties, 


ADVENTURES   OF   BRUCE.  171 

but,  in  reality,  was  concerting  measures  for  seizing 
upon  the  Scottish  crown ;  and  in  the  winter  of  1305 
his  schemes  were  revealed  to  Edward.  Bruce  was 
then  residing  in  London,  and  quite  unaware  of  his 
danger  ;  when  one  evening  he  received  from  the  Earl 
of  Gloucester  a  small  sum  of  money  and  a  pair  of 
spurs,  as  a  warning  to  fly.  Bruce  took  the  hint,  had 
his  horse's  shoes  inverted,  lest  he  should  be  tracked 
in  the  snow,  and  next  morning  set  out  betimes  for 
Scotland.  On  the  road  he  encountered  a  messenger 
from  John  Comyn  of  Badenoch,  surnamed  the  Red  ; 
the  man  was  forced  to  surrender  his  dispatches,  and 
Bruce,  on  perusing  them,  found  that  the  King  was 
therein  urged  to  put  him  to  death.  Enraged  beyond 
measure  at  Comyn,  who  had  enjoyed  and  betrayed 
his  confidence,  Bruce  pressed  forward,  and  on  the 
seventh  day  of  his  journey  arrived  at  the  castle  of 
Lochmaben, 

On  the  10th  of  February,  130G,  a  youthful  knight, 
with  a  graceful  figure  and  broad  shoulders,  a  liand- 
some  countenance,  yellow  hair,  and  blue  sparkling 
eyes,  reined  up  his  steed  before  the  church  of  the 
Gray  Friars  in  the  picturesque  town  of  Dumfries,  and 
entered  the  sacred  edifice.  That  striking  personage 
was  E-obert  Bruce,  earl  of  Carrick,  and  in  the  interior 
he  met  by  appointment  with  the  Red  Comyn.  Con- 
flicting accounts  are  given  of  their  conversation  ;  but 
it  appears  that,  after  a  violent  altercation,  Bruce,  with 
a  disregard  of  the  sanctuary  which  his  Danish  progen- 


172  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

itors  could  not  have  surpassed,  grasped  his  dagger, 
plunged  the  weapon  into  his  enemy's  body,  and  hur- 
ried from  the  church.  His  friends  in  attendance,  per- 
ceiving his  paleness  and  agitation,  anxiously  inquired 
the  cause.  "  I  doubt  I  have  slain  Comyn,"  replied 
Bruce,  while  nervously  mounting  his  horse.  "  You 
doubt?"  exclaimed  Sir  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  :  "  I  will 
secure  him."  And  deeming  it  no  time  to  be  squeam- 
ish, the  fearless  Borderer  rushed  into  the  church,  and 
completed  the  murder  so  sternly  that  part  of  Comyn's 
blood  was  spilt  on  the  altar.  Bruce  now  rode  to 
the  castle,  and  turning  out  some  recently-appointed 
judges,  seized  the  place.  Being  joined  by  a  number 
of  the  Scots,  he  achieved  such  considerable  triumphs 
as  to  be  crovvmed  at  Scone ;  but  two  successsive  de- 
feats compelled  him  to  seek  refuge  in  the  small,  neg- 
lected island  of  Rachrin,  amidst  the  roaring  waves 
of  the  Atlantic.  "While  lurking  there  he  was  excom- 
municated by  the  Pope  ;  several  of  his  adherents  were 
executed,  and  others  were  imprisoned.  His  enemies 
had  ceased  to  fear,  and  his  friends  had  naturally 
despaired,  when  the  hero  again  took  the  field  with 
a  band  of  devoted  followers,  twice  defeated  the  En- 
glish captains,  and  then  recruited  his  forces  in  woods 
and  marshes,  which  enabled  him  to  defy  pursuit. 

Edward  was  keeping  Lent  at  Winchester  when  the 
news  of  Bruce's  exploits  made  him  aware  that  the 
grand  scheme  of  uniting  the  two  kingdoms  was  in  se- 
rious danger.     Though  the  reverse  of  wantonly  cruel, 


EDWARD'S   LAST   EXPEDITION.  173 

the  great  Plantagenet  was  not  so  forgiving  as  to 
dream  of  sparing  his  enemies ;  and  had  he  been  in 
the  season  of  youth  or  manhood,  their  position  would 
not  have  been  enviable.  But  the  victor  of  Evesham 
and  Falkirk,  the  conqueror  of  bearded  Saracens,  the 
English  sovereign  who  had  won  and  retained  the 
hearts  of  his  people  against  the  influence  of  castle, 
cathedral,  and  counting-house,  was  on  the  verge  of 
threescore  and  ten,  paralyzed  by  infirmity,  and  strug- 
gling with  disease.  Conveyed  to  London  in  a  char- 
iot, and  conscious  of  decay,  he  trusted  to  inspire  the 
Prince  of  Wales  with  his  martial  spirit.  Accordingly, 
on  the  eve  of  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  the  Prince,  with 
a  few  young  nobles,  preparatory  to  taking  equestrian 
rank,  watched  their  arms  in  the  Abbey  of  Westmin- 
ster ;  while  two  or  three  hundred  more  performed  the 
ceremony  in  the  Temple  Church.  Next  morning,  the 
Prince,  after  being  knighted  by  his  sire,  conferred  the 
distinction  on  his  companions ;  and  at  a  banquet  the 
King  manifested  his  ruling  passion  by  conjuring  the 
youthful  sons  of  chivalry  never  to  sleep  two  nights 
in  one  place  till  they  had  avenged  the  slaughter  of 
Comyn  and  punished  the  perfidy  of  the  Scots.  With- 
out delay,  the  Prince  and  his  associates  set  out  for 
the  Border.  The  King  prepared  to  follow  more  leis- 
urely. 

Eight  years  previously,  the  grave  havmg  closed 
over  his  beloved  Glueen  Eleanor,  Edward  had  wed- 
ded a  French  princess ;  and  she  attended  him  in  his 


174  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

last  expedition.  On  arriving  at  Carlisle  his  weakness 
and  enthusiasm  increased  together,  and  he  became 
fretfully  impatient  to  proceed.  But  his  journeys  were 
necessarily  so  slow,  that  after  four  days'  traveling 
from  Carlisle  he  only  reached  Burgh-on-the-Sands,  a 
distance  of  six  miles ;  and  there,  on  the  7th  of  July, 
130G,  while  raised  on  his  couch  to  swallow  some  food, 
the  brave  soul  of  that  able,  ambitious,  and  popular 
monarch  parted  from  the  once  strong  but  now  shat- 
tered tenement  of  clay. 

Edward  11.  was  a  weak,  indolent,  capricious  prince, 
and  utterly  incompetent  to  realize  his  predecessor's 
ambitious  projects.  Bruce  is  said  to  have  declared, 
that  "  he  was  more  afraid  of  the  bones  of  the  dead 
monarch  than  of  his  living  son,  and  that  it  was  more 
difficult  to  wrench  a  foot  of  land  from  the  first  Ed- 
ward than  a  kingdom  from  his  successor."  Abandon' 
ing  the  prosecution  of  his  father's  cherished  object, 
and  passing  over  to  France,  the  young  King  married 
Isabel,  daughter  of  Phihp  the  Fair,  and  speedily  dis- 
gusted his  nobles  by  the  partiality  shown  to  Piers 
Gaveston,  a  frivolous  minion,  who,  recalled  from  the 
exile  to  which  the  late  king  had  condemned  him,  irri- 
tated the  barons  to  an  extreme  degree.  The  reckless 
favorite  being  imprisoned,  and  attempting  to  escape, 
was  seized  and  beheaded. 

Meantime  Robert  Bruce,  aided  by  his  nephew, 
Randolph,  earl  of  Moray,  and  Sir  James  Douglas, 
surnamed  "  the  Good,"  was  so  successful  in  shaking 


BATTLE   OF  BANNOCKBURN.  17f 

off  the  English  yoke,  that  those  inhahitants  of  Scot- 
land who  had  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  stood 
truly  by  the  King  of  England,  found  themselves  in  a 
situation  of  peril  and  perplexity.  To  represent  their 
sufferings,  the  Earl  of  Dunbar  repaired  to  Edward's 
court,  in  the  winter  of  1313,  and  was  a^ured  of  re- 
lief in  the  ensuing  summer.  To  fulfill  his  promise, 
Edward  crossed  the  Tweed  with  such  an  army  as 
had  never,  perhaps,  left  England  before,  and  on  the 
23d  of  June  his  vanguard  came  in  sight  of  the  Scot- 
tish force,  where  it  had  been  strongly  posted  by  the 
rivulet  of  Bannockburn,  near  Stirling. 

It  was  Sunday  evening,  and  the  setting  sun  glanced 
on  the  polished  armor  of  that  host  of  warriors,  as,  with 
floating  ensigns  and  heraldic  emblazonry,  they  present- 
ed themselves  to  the  eager  gaze  of  the  Scots.  In  front, 
on  a  priceless  charger,  a  gift  of  the  Bishop  of  Durham, 
rode  Gloucester's  Earl,  the  third  knight  of  his  age, 
contending  with  Hereford  for  the  honor  of  leading  the 
van.  Under  trusty  captains,  in  bodies  of  ten  thousand, 
the  bulk  of  the  army  marched  onward  ;  while  in  the 
midst  of  a  splendid  company  waved  the  royal  stand- 
ard, where,  supported  by  Aymer  de  Valence,  earl  of 
Pembroke,  skilled  in  Scottish  struggles,  and  Sir  Giles 
de  Argentine,  fresh  from  the  wars  of  Henry  of  Lux- 
embourg, rode  the  inadequate  representative  of  a  fa- 
ther in  the  grave  who  had  subdued  Wales,  and  of  a 
son  in  the  cradle  who  was  to  subjugate  France. 

At  this  point,  Bruce  was  recognized  by  his  former 


176  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

comrades,  the  English  cavahers,  riding  along  the 
front  of  his  lines  on  a  palfrey  ;  and  Henry  de  Bohun, 
sheathed  in  steel,  spurred  his  barbed  courser  to  the 
attack.  The  result  was  unexpected  :  for  Bruce,  after 
warding  off  the  knight's  thrust,  raised  his  ax,  and 
with  a  single  blow  stretched  Bohun  lifeless  on  the 
ground.  Next  morning  the  battle  was  begun  in 
earnest,  by  a  charge  of  English  cavalry ;  whose 
shock  was  so  firmly  withstood,  that  victory  inclined 
to  the  Scots.  Gloucester  was  beaten  from  his  horse, 
and  killed ;  Argentine  fell  while  attempting  his 
rescue.  Many  knights  were  swallowed  up  by  pits, 
which  had  been  dug  with  that  view,  and  covered 
with  brushwood  ;  and  the  rout  was  so  complete,  that 
Edward,  with  a  body  of  horse,  left  the  field  closely 
pursued  by  Douglas ;  and  after  a  ride  of  sixty  miles 
found  security  in  the  castle  of  Dunbar,  whence  he  es- 
caped by  sea  to  England. 

Untaught  by  experience,  the  weak  King  found  a 
new  favorite  in  Despenser,  whose  unmerited  elevation 
completed  the  disafiection  of  the  nation.  Clueen  Isa- 
bel viciously  joined  the  malcontents,  and,  having  in- 
veigled her  son  to  France,  formed  a  disreputable  in- 
timacy with  an  exile  named  Mortimer.  Indeed  De- 
spenser and  his  father  had  given  Isabel  such  ofiense, 
that,  bent  on  revenge,  she  obtained  assistance  from 
the  French  monarch,  landed  on  the  coast  of  Suflblk, 
and  was  so  successful  in  her  enterprise,  that  the  De- 
spensers  expiated  their  offences  on  the  scafibld,  and 


THE   THIRD  EDWARD.  177 

the  King,  abandoned  at  once  by  nobles  and  citizens, 
was  reduced  to  the  utmost  extremity.  After  a  futile 
attempt  to  pass  over  to  Ireland,  he  was  found  lurking 
in  Wales,  and  compelled  to  resign  the  crown,  which 
was  bestowed  on  his  son.  The  deposed  sovereign  was 
committed  to  Berkeley  Castle,  where,  after  being  in- 
humanly treated,  he  was  put  to  death  in.  1327. 

Edward  III.,  being  then  only  fifteen,  was  under 
the  control  of  his  mother  and  Mortimer,  who  styled 
themselves  Regents ;  but  next  year  the  young  King 
married  Philippa  of  Hainault,  and  soon  after  asserting 
his  authority  avenged  the  assassination  of  his  father, 
dueen  Isabel  was  imprisoned  at  Castle  Rising  ;  "  her 
gentle  Mortimer"  was  hanged  at  Tyburn  ;  and  public 
affairs  were  placed  iii  a  more  creditable  position. 

At  this  period,  Robert  Bruce  having  terminated  an 
eventfid  life,  and  being  succeeded  on  the  Scottish 
throne  by  his  son  David,  a  boy  of  six  years  old, 
guarded  by  Randolph,  earl  of  Moray,  Edward  Baliol, 
who  had  hitherto  resided  on  his  French  estates,  was 
inspired  with  a  desire  to  regain  the  crown  which  his 
father  had  for  a  time  worn.  The  King  of  England 
opposed  a  hostile  attack  on  Scotland,  which  was  pro- 
jected ;  but  Baliol's  confederates  eluded  his  vigilance, 
made  the  invasion  by  sea,  and  won  several  victories. 
Baliol  being  solemnly  crowned  at  Scone,  assumed  the 
title  of  "  The  Conqueror ;"  and  the  young  Bruce's 
guardian,  with  other  men  of  mark  among  the  Scots, 
having  indiscreetly  broken  the  peace  with  England, 
M 


178  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAiND. 

Edward  issued  a  declaration  of  war,  marched  with  an 
army  to  the  Borders,  and  in  May,  1333,  laid  siege  to 
the  town  of  Berwick,  over  whose  wall,  thirty-seven 
years  earlier,  his  mighty  grandsire  had  leaped  his 
charger,  Bayard,  into  the  midst  of  an  exasperated  gar- 
rison. Before  its  gate  the  young  King  remained  till 
the  middle  of  July,  when  a  Scottish  army,  led  hy 
Archibald  Douglas,  guardian  of  the  kingdom,  who  had 
vainly  attempted  to  w-ithdraw  Edward  from  his  posi- 
tion hy  threatening  the  impregnable  castle  of  Bam- 
burgh,  where  the  excellent  Q,ueen  Philippa  was,  re- 
crossed  the  Tweed  to  offer  battle.  Edward  moved  his 
forces  to  Halidon  Hill,  near  the  town  ;  and  on  that 
eminence — his  full,  dark  eye  flashing  fire,  his  lips 
firmly  compressed,  and  his  precociously  grave  counte- 
nance shaded  by  a  shower  of  long  black  ringlets — he 
awaited  the  attack,  which  was  delayed  by  an  unex- 
pected occurrence. 

Several  years  previously,  King  Robert  Bruce,  while 
hunting,  had  been  unhorsed  by  a  wild  bull,  and  in  the 
utmost  peril  of  being  gored  to  death  ;  when  forward 
sprang  a  huge  Scot,  who,  after  grappling  fiercely  with 
the  animal,  prostrated  its  bulky  form  on  the  ground, 
and  thus  acquired  the  name  of  Turnbull.  Being  pres- 
ent at  Hahdon,  and  ambitious  of  fresh  laurels,  ke 
presented  himself  with  long  strides  between  the  em- 
battled hosts,  and,  accompanied  by  a  huge  mastiff, 
defied  any  man  in  the  English  army  to  the  combat. 
The  challenge  was  of  so  novel  a  kind  that  there  was 


IIALIDON    HILL.  r.u 

a  pause,  till  Sir  Robert  Beiihalc,  a  young  knight  of 
Norfolk,  dismounted,  and  came  into  the  arena.  The 
monstrous  dog  flying  savagely  at  him,  was  instantly 
killed ;  and  its  master  fared  no  better,  for  the  gallant 
Benhale,  after  eluding  some  fierce  blows,  first  wounded 
his  antagonist  in  the  arm,  and  then  smote  ofl'his  head. 
The  Scots,  seeing  their  gigantic  champion  fall,  uttered 
a  howl  of  vengeance,  and  rushed  madly  up  the  hill. 
For  a  moment  their  onslaught  seemed  irresistible  ;  but 
the  English  spearmen  stood  firm  ;  and  the  archers, 
bending  their  bows,  sent  forth  a  shower  of  arrows. 
The  Scots,  panic-struck,  fled  in  disorder  ;  and  Edward, 
at  the  head  of  a  select  body  of  horse,  pursued  them 
five  miles  into  their  own  country. 

After  a  victory  so  signal  the  town  surrendered,  and 
Edward  marched  into  Scotland.  David  Bruce,  the 
boy-king  of  Scots,  with  his  queen,  Edward's  sister,  Joan, 
fled  to  France  ;  and  Baliol  was  seated  on  their  throne  ; 
but  the  nation  was  so  hostile  to  his  pretensions,  that, 
descending  from  the  dangerous  eminence,  he  trans- 
ferred his  claims  to  the  English  King,  and  died  in  oh 
scurity. 

King  Edward  now,  however,  found  a  wider  field 
for  the  exercise  of  his  martial  genius,  in  enforcing  his 
claims  to  the  crown  of  France,  as  heir  to  his  maternal 
uncles,  and  in  1338  sailed  with  a  fleet  and  a  small 
army.  The  campaign  was  barren  of  results,  for  the 
King  was  almost  dependent  on  lukewarm  foreigners  ; 
and  it  was  not  till  1340,  when  he  defeated  the  French 


180  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

fleet  oiFSluys,  that  any  thing  considerable  was  accom- 
phshed. 

At  length,  in  the  year  1346,  much  money  having 
been  fruitlessly  spent,  the  Parliament  and  the  people 
expressed  a  wish  that  the  King  might  be  no  longer 
duped  by  foreigners  ;  and  Edward,  collecting  an  En- 
glish army,  embarked  for  Normandy — many  a  young 
knight  binding  up  one  side  of  his  face  with  a  silken, 
vibbon,  and  swearing  before  the  ladies  and  the  peacock 
never  to  see  with  both  eyes  till  he  had  performed 
certain  feats  of  chivalry.  In  the  autumn  arrived 
news,  that  the  King  of  England,  standing  on  a  wind- 
mill at  a  village  named  Crecy,  had  seen  a  mighty  and 
magnificent  French  army  give  way  in  consternation 
before  his  scanty  ranks ;  that  the  famous  crossbow- 
men  of  Genoa  had  shrunk  back  in  dismay  before  a 
shower  of  English  arrows  ;  that  the  chivalry  of  France 
and  the  counts  of  Germany  had  been  scattered  by  the 
knights,  and  gentlemen,  and  yeomen,  who  fought 
around  the  juvenile  Prince  of  Wales  ;  that  finding  his 
successive  assaults  repulsed  with  fearful  loss,  the  King 
of  France — brave  as  he  was — had  been  forced  to  fly 
from  the  lost  field ;  that  the  blind  King  of  Bohemia, 
hearing  of  his  son  being  wounded,  and  indignant  at  the 
idea  of  yielding  to  a  warrior  in  his  teens,  had  placed 
himself,  with  interlaced  bridles,  between  two  knights, 
and  fallen  in  a  desperate  charge  ;  and  that  the  Bohe- 
mian plume  of  ostrich-feathers  was  worn  in  triumph  as 
the  crest  of  the  irresistible  heir  to  the  crown  of  England 


VICTORIES   OVER  THE  FRENCH.  isi 

"While  the  Eiighsh  at  home  were  elate  with  these 
tidings,  and  the  English  abroad  were  besieging  Calais, 
the  King  of  Scots,  at  the  instigation  of  the  French 
monarch,  marched  from  Perth  at  the  head  of  a  for- 
midable force,  and  penetrated  to  Durham.  There,  by 
an  English  army,  said  to  have  been  assembled  by 
Q,ueen  Philippa,  he  was  defeated  with  loss,  and  led 
captive  to  the  Tower.  Intelligence  of  a  greater  victo- 
ry was  ere  long  bruited  about,  when  the  Black  Prince 
— so  called  from  the  color  of  his  plate-armor — met 
John  of  France  at  Poitiers,  and  after  routing  an  army 
incomparably  more  numerous  than  his  own,  brought 
the  French  King  prisoner  to  England.  The  captive 
and  his  victor  entered  London  in  the  spring  of  1357  ; 
the  former,  riding  a  stately  cream-colored  charger,  and 
the  latter,  at  his  side,  enacting  with  chivalrous  respect, 
the  part  of  page,  on  a  small  black  pony.  The  En- 
glish King  treated  John  with  the  utmost  courtesy,  and 
lodged  him.  in  the  Savoy,  where  the  hapless  monarch 
expired  in  1364. 

Edward  long  survived  to  experience  the  instability 
of  human  aflairs.  In  13G7  the  good  Glueen  Philippa 
went  to  the  tomb  ;  the  Prince  of  Wales  followed  : 
that  hero's  son,  Richard,  became  heir  apparent  at  the 
age  of  ten  ;  and  the  French,  though  scrupulously 
avoiding  a  battle,  regained  most  of  their  territory. 
The  King's  last  days  were  disturbed  by  a  riot,  which 
had  its  origin  in  a  memorable  occurrence. 

John  Wiclifle,  born  about  1324,  in  the  county  of 


182  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

York,  having  at  Oxford  attained  a  high  reputation 
for  learning,  assailed  the  eiTors  and  corruptions  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Being  brought  to  trial  before  the 
Bishop  of  London,  the  reformer  was  escorted  to  St. 
Paul's  by  Lord  Percy,  marshal  of  England,  and  the 
King's  son,  John  of  Gaunt,  duke  of  Lancaster.  The 
latter,  growing  violent,  threatened  to  kick  the  prelate 
out  of  the  church ;  and  the  populace,  in  revenge  for 
that  insult,  after  breaking  open  Percy's  house,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Duke's  palace  of  the  Savoy,  which  they 
gutted.  The  Bishop's  influence  ultimately  put  down 
the  riot ;  and  the  Lord  Mayor,  with  the  Aldermen  of 
the  city,  repairing  to  Richmond,  craved  pardon  for 
their  ofienses.  A  few  months  later,  in  June  1377, 
the  King  closed  his  eyes  forever. 

On  the  16th  of  July,  Richard  IL,  a  boy  of  eleven, 
the  inheritor  of  his  father's  popularity,  was  crowned 
with  unusual  splendor,  and  war  forthwith  commenced 
with  France  and  Spain.  But  it  was  the  reverse  of 
glorious  ;  and  hardly  had  the  King  been  four  years  on 
the  throne  when  the  imposition  of  a  poll-tax  roused 
the  populace  to  frenzy. 

Geoffrey  Chaucer,  the  father  of  English  poetry,  and 
the  kinsman  of  John  of  Gaunt,  has,  in  his  "  Canter- 
buiy  Tales,"  drawn  a  picture  of  England  in  his  life- 
time, which  extended  from  1328  to  1400.  There, 
side  by  side,  at  the  board  of  mine  host  of  the  Tabard 
Inn,  figure  the  squire,  affluent  and  full  of  mirth  ;  the 
franklin,  rejoicing  in  a  rough  plenty ;  the  rural  par- 


WAT  TYLER'S   INSURRECTION.  183 

son,  truly  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  revered  by  his 
parishioners ;  the  poor  Oxford  scholar,  with  a  lean 
horse,  proud  of  his  books  and  respected  for  his  learn- 
ing ;  the  physician,  skilled  in  the  art  of  healing  ;  the 
monk,  with  his  bald  crown  shining  like  glass  ;  the 
friar,  who  could  sweetly  listen  to  confessions,  and 
pleasantly  grant  absolution  ;  and  the  abbess,  so  ten- 
der-hearted, that  she  would  weep  at  the  thought  of 
the  small  hounds  she  daintily  fed  being  struck,  or 
even  at  the  sight  of  a  mouse  caught  in  a  trap.  But 
though  the  classes  represented  by  the  poet's  life-like 
portraits,  lived  in  comfort  and  freedom,  it  was  far 
otherwise  with  that  section  of  the  people  who  were 
struggling  out  of  serfdom.  Thus  Jack  Straw,  a  riot- 
ous priest,  was  enabled  to  incite  the  peasantry  of  Es- 
sex to  refuse  payment  of  the  poll-tax,  and  four  Enghsh 
counties  were  speedily  in  violent  agitation. 

At  that  time  there  lived  at  Dartford,  a  market- 
town  in  Kent,  a  man  named  Wat  Tyler,  who  sup- 
ported his  humble  household  by  the  calling  to  which 
his  name  alludes ;  and  into  his  cottage,  in  the  summer 
of  1381,  went  a  tax-gatherer  to  demand  payment  of 
the  impost  from  his  daughter.  Wat's  wife  protested 
that  the  girl  was  under  fifteen,  and,  therefore,  not 
liable  ;  but  the  tax-gatherer,  saying  he  would  soon 
ascertain,  laid  hold  of  the  damsel  with  indelicate  free- 
dom. Thereupon  the  indignant  good-woman  cried  to 
her  husband,  who  was  tiling  the  roof  of  a  house  hard 
by ;  and  Wat,  making  his  appearance,  killed  the  offi- 


184  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

cial  on  the  spot.  The  neighbors  applauded  the  ac- 
tion ;  and  the  Kentish  men,  with  Wat  as  their  cap- 
tain, and  John  Ball,  a  demagogic  priest,  as  their 
chaplain,  after  creating  a  riot  at  Canterbury,  march- 
ed toward  London.  At  Blackheath,  where  the  insur- 
gents are  stated  to  have  numbered  a  hundred  thou- 
sand, they  suddenly  met  the  Princess  of  Wales,  the 
King's  mother  ;  but  even  then  they  retained  sufficient 
respect  for  the  widow  of  the  Black  Prince  to  dismiss 
her,  with  her  retinue,  in  safety,  after  she  had  allowed 
a  few  of  them  to  salute  her  fair  cheek.  Entering  Lon- 
don, and  indulging  to  excess  in  strong  potations,  the 
rioters  spoiled  and  burned  the  Savoy,  the  stately  and 
beautiful  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  who  was 
then  absent  in  Scotland.  They  next  destroyed  Ne^A'- 
gate,  the  Temple,  the  Priory  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John, 
and  the  Sanctuary  of  the  Flemings,  sixty  of  whom 
were  beheaded,  as  well  as  many  other  wealthy  citizens 
After  two  days  of  terror  and  anarchy,  the  rioters 
were  informed  that  the  King  would  confer  with  them 
at  Mile  End ;  and  issuing  from  the  Tower,  Richard 
gave  such  satisfactory  assurances,  that  the  rioters 
from  Essex  and  Hertford  went  quietly  home.  But 
the  Kentish  men,  under  Wat  Tyler,  breaking  into  the 
Tower,  beheaded  the  Primate,  the  Treasurer,  and 
other  officers  of  state  ;  and  the  posture  of  affairs  was 
most  alarming  when  the  King,  next  morning,  after 
hearing  mass  at  Westminster,  mounted  and  rode  east- 
ward.    Attended  by  John  Walworth,  the  lord  mayor, 


DEATH  OF  WAT  TYLER.  185 

and  sixty  other  persons,  he  encountered  the  multi^ 
tude.  Wat  Tyler  came  up  to  speak  to  the  King,  and 
spurred  so  close,  that  the  head  of  one  horse  touched 
the  flank  of  the  other.  The  daring  leader,  playing 
with  his  dagger,  seized  Richard's  rein ;  upon  which 
Walworth  rode  forward  and  wounded  him  severely 
in  the  neck.  Wat  wheeled  round  to  address  his  fol- 
lowers, but  an  esquire,  named  Standish,  felled  him  to 
the  ground.  "  You  have  killed  our  captain,"  shouted 
the  Kentish  men,  and  bent  their  bows  ;  but  at  that 
moment  the  E.oyal  boy  rode  forward,  and  lisped  out, 
"  My  lieges,  I  am  your  king,  and  I  will  be  your  cap- 
tain." The  insurgents  could  not  resist  such  an  ap- 
peal ;  some  knelt  for  pardon,  and  others  took  to  the 
corn-fields.  Unfortunately,  the  King  afterward  de- 
clared that  these  fair  promises  meant  nothing. 

When  John  of  Gaunt  went  to  pursue  his  Spanish 
claims,  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  became 
all-powerful ;  and  during  his  administration  the  Scots 
invaded  the  north  of  England,  and  won  the  battle  of 
Otterburne.  Richard  then  mustered  courage  to  dis- 
miss Gloucester,  intrusted  afiairs  to  tiie  guidance  of  the 
Duke  of  York  and  Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  and,  havinw 
prevailed  on  Parliament  to  vote  him  a  revenue  for  life, 
became  so  absolute,  that  no  man  durst  question  what 
he  did.  Several  noblemen  were  executed ;  and  he 
availed  himself  of  a  dispute  between  Mowbray,  duke 
of  Norfolk,  and  Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  to  banish  the 
former  for  life,  and  the  latter  for  ten  years. 


186  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

John  Froissart,  son  of  a  heraldic  painter  in  Hai- 
nault,  and  canon  of  Chimay,  who,  in  quest  of  informa- 
tion, had  traveled  through  England,  France,  and  Scot- 
land, and  who  has  depicted  in  glowing  pages  the 
chivalrous  scenes  of  his  age — the  sieges,  battles,  tour- 
naments, and  banquets — visited  the  court  of  Richard, 
who  presented  him,  on  leaving  Windsor,  with  a  silver 
goblet  and  a  hundred  nobles.  The  chronicler,  famil- 
iar from  his  youth  with  Edward  III.,  whose  institu- 
tion of  the  Order  of  the  Garter  marks  the  epoch  of 
English  chivalry,  states  that  Richard  maintained  a 
household  the  costliness  and  splendor  of  which  threw 
that  of  all  his  predecessors  utterly  into  the  shade,  and 
contrasts  that  magnificence  with  the  miserable  result. 

The  catastrophe  was  indeed  sudden  ;  for,  while 
Richard  was  in  Ireland  in  1399,  Henry  of  Lancaster 
(his  father,  John  of  Gaunt,  being  dead)  landed  at 
Ravenspur,  and,  favored  by  the  people,  broke  into 
open  rebellion.  Betrayed  and  abandoned,  Richard 
took  refuge  in  Flint  Castle,  but  being  discovered  in 
the  guise  of  a  priest,  and  conveyed  to  London,  a  Par- 
liament, on  being  summoned,  accomplished  his  depo- 
sition. He  was  then  committed  to  Pontefract ;  though 
what  was  his  subsequent  fate  is  still  a  historic  my.s- 
tery.  The  politic  Henry  ascended  the  throne  ;  and 
thus  were  sown  the  seeds  of  dynastic  disputes,  Avhich 
sprung  up  and  ripened  into  the  long  and  sanguinary 
struggle  between  the  rival  Houses  of  York  and  Lan- 
caster. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HISTORY    OF    ENGLAND. 

Henry  IV.,  in  seizing  the  throne,  had  been  mainly 
indebted  for  assistance  to  the  powerful  Earls  of  "West- 
moreland and  Northumberland.  After  landing  at 
Ravenspur,  and  being  joined  by  those  Northern 
barons,  he  had  sworn  in  their  presence  at  Doncaster 
that  he  claimed  nothing  beyond  his  paternal  estates, 
and  they  were  naturally  somewhat  startled  when 
he  grasped  at  the  crown  ;  but  Henry  silenced  their 
scruples  by  nominating  Westmoreland  marshal  of  En- 
gland, and  conferring  on  Northumberland  the  dignity 
of  Constable,  with  the  lordship  of  Man. 

Anxious  to  prove  his  courage  and  capacity  in  the 
field,  the  new  King  made  a  hostile  expedition  as  far 
as  Edinburgh,  but  finding  the  impracticability  of  bring- 
ing the  Scots  to  a  battle,  he  returned,  without  having 
effected  any  thing  considerable,  to  suppress  a  formida- 
ble rebellion  that  had  broken  out  in  "Wales. 

Several  years  before  this  period  there  had  been  study- 
ing law,  at  one  of  the  Inns  of  court,  an  imaginative 
Welshman,  named  Owen  Glendower,  who,  through 
his  mother,  claimed  a  descent  from  the   celebrated 


188  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Llewell}'!!.  The  youth  had  previously  been  educated 
at  one  of  the  universities,  and  was  sufficiently  accom- 
plished to  be  admitted  as  an  esquire  in  the  household 
of  King  Richard.  On  the  deposition  of  that  monarch 
Owen  retired  to  his  small  estate,  which  lay  near  the 
territory  of  Lord  Grey  de  Ruthin,  and  a  portion  of 
his  lands  having  been  seized  by  that  baron,  he  applied 
for  redress  to  the  House  of  Lords.  His  petition  being 
rejected,  Owen  resolved  to  take  the  law  into  his  own 
hands,  and  one  day,  when  a  fair  was  being  held  in 
Lord  Gray's  town  of  Ruthin,  he  suddenly  appeared 
with  a  band  of  wild  Welshmen,  who,  after  plundering 
the  merchants,  set  fire  to  the  place.  This  achievement 
was  so  grateful  to  his  countrymen,  that  such  of  them 
as  were  students  or  apprentices  in  England  (locked 
home  to  take  part  in  the  insurrection  ;  and  Owen, 
being  proclaimed  Prince  of  Wales,  not  only  baffled 
Henry  himself  in  three  campaigns,  but  defeated  and 
took  prisoner  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  uncle  of  the  young 
Earl  of  March. 

Such  M^as  the  state  of  matters,  when,  at  Homeldon, 
on  a  September  day,  a  Scottish  army,  led  by  the  Earl 
of  Douglas,  was  encountered  by  the  Percies.  The 
Scots  occupied  a  hill,  and  Harry  Percy,  surnamed 
Hotspur,  was  about  to  charge  up,  when  the  expatria- 
ted Earl  of  Dunbar,  seizing  his  rein,  hinted  that  the 
English  archers  had  better  commence  the  onslaught. 
The  advice  was  taken  ;  the  Scots  fell  in  heaps  ;  Doug- 
las, descending  the  hill,  was  captured  ;  and  the  flower 


OWEN   GLENDOWER'S   REBELLION.  189 

of  the  Scottish  iiobiHty  lay  stretched  on  the  acchvily. 
But  a  dispute  arising  in  regard  to  the  prisoners  taken 
on  this  occasion,  and  about  the  ransom  of  Mortimer, 
Northumberland  and  his  fiery  son  entered  into  concert 
with  Owen  Glendower,  and  formed  a  plot  to  dethrone 
Henry,  and  place  on  the  throne  the  boy-Earl  of  March, 
whose  aunt  Hotspur  had  married.  Douglas,  who  had 
lost  an  eye  at  Homcldon,  joined  the  enterprise  ;  but 
the  rebd  army  was  defeated  at  Shrewsbury  ;  Hotspur 
was  slain  on  the  field  ;  and  Northumberland,  with  his 
grandson,  fled  into  Scotland.  Soon  after  this,  Henry, 
prince  of  Wales,  whose  life  had  hitherto  been  the 
reverse  of  decorous,  defeated  the  eldest  son  of  Owen 
Glendower,  and  so  harassed  the  latter,  that  he  dis- 
guised himself  as  a  shepherd,  and  ultimately  died  in 
obscurity. 

Scotland  was  at  this  period  torn  by  intestine  feuds 
and  domestic  quarrels.  Robert  HI.,  a  man  of  weak 
and  indolent  disposition,  occupied  the  throne,  but  was 
entirely  under  the  control  of  his  brother,  the  unscni- 
pulous  Albany,  who  accused  the  duke  of  Rothsay, 
heir-apparent,  of  treasonable  designs,  threw  him  in  a 
dungeon,  and  starved  him  to  death.  The  King's  sur- 
viving son,  James,  apprehensive  of  a  similer  fate, 
consulted  his  safety  by  sailing  for  France  ;  and  the 
vessel  which  conveyed  him  being  captured  by  an  En- 
glish ship  of  war,  he  was  brought  prisoner  to  London. 
Robert  sank  under  these  misfortunes ;  and  Albany, 
with   the   title    of  Governor,   continued    to    exercise 


190  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

sovereign  authority.  Shortly  after  this,  the  hfc  of 
Henry,  which  had  been  embittered  by  the  plots  of  his 
enemies  and  the  juvenile  indiscretions  of  his  son,  the 
Prince  of  "Wales,  terminated  in  1413. 

Henry  V.,  on  ascending  the  throne,  threw  ofi^  his 
follies  and  his  rakish  companions,  as  the  wild  steed 
shakes  drops  of  dew  from  his  mane.  He  magnani- 
mously removed  the  body  of  the  second  Richard  from 
Langley  in  Hertfordshire,  and  had  it  interred,  with  the 
honors  due  to  royalty,  in  the  Abbey  of  Westminster, 
where  he  attended  the  funeral,  and  declared  that  he 
mourned  as  if  it  had  been  the  corpse  of  his  own  father. 
He  then  released  the  young  Earl  of  March,  who, 
touched  with  the  kind  treatment  he  met  with,  became 
henceforth  devoted  to  Henry's  service. 

Having  thus  created  for  himself  that  popular  favor 
which  his  father  had  been  unable  to  retain,  Henry 
turned  his  eyes  toward  France,  and  revived  the  claim 
of  his  illustrious  grcat-grandsire,  the  victor  of  Crecy 
to  the  crown  of  that  kingdom.  Crossing  the  sea  with 
an  invading  army,  which  a  contagious  fever  wasted 
to  a  fifth  of  its  original  numbers,  he  sent  a  challenge 
to  the  Dauphin  to  decide  the  succession  by  single 
combat.  But  the  French  prince  declining  a  persona} 
encounter,  their  armies  met  at  Agincourt,  where  the 
English,  against  fearful  odds,  gained  one  of  the  most 
glorious  victories  on  record. 

Henrjr,  after  a  short  visit  to  his  owai  kingdom,  for 
the  purpose  of  recruiting  his  forces,  returned  to  France, 


CAREER  OF  HENRY    V.  191 

fought  his  way  to  Paris,  and  succeeded  in  concluding  a 
treaty,  whereby  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  espouse 
Catherine,  daughter  of  the  French  monarch,  and  in- 
herit the  crown  as  her  dowry.  Catherine's  brother, 
the  Dauphin,  was  not  a  party  to  this  arrangement, 
and  on  Henry's  departure  for  England  with  his  bride 
the  French  were  victorious  in  a  battle  against  the 
royal  Duke  of  Clarence.  Henry's  return  to  the  scene 
of  action  changed  the  face  of  matters  ;  but  while  pur- 
suing his  triumphant  career,  the  English  King,  "  too 
famous  to  live  long,"  was  seized  with  a  mortal  disease, 
of  which  he  died  in  1422.  His  body  was  brought  to 
England,  and  interred  with  extraordinary  pomp  at 
Westminster,  where  his  tomb  was  long  regarded  with 
peculiar  veneration. 

Henry  VI.  was  an  infant  of  nine  months  old  when, 
on  the  death  of  his  heroic  father,  he  was  proclaimed 
King  at  London  and  Paris.  His  paternal  uncle,  the 
Duke  of  Bedford,  was  declared  Regent  of  France  and 
Protector  of  England ;  but  in  the  latter  country  the 
administrative  functions  were  delegated  to  the  Duke 
of  Gloucester.  Bedford,  one  of  the  bravest  and  most 
sagacious  men  of  the  age,  was  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  his  nephew,  and  governed  France  with  great  abili- 
ty ;  but,  unfortunately,  he  was  cut  ofi'  during  the  se- 
vere struggle  which  followed  the  death  of  Henry  V., 
and  the  English  were  deprived  of  all  their  French  ac- 
quisitions, except  Calais  and  Guignes. 

Meantime,  the  condition  of  England  was  far  from 


■j02  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

satisfactory.  So  long,  indeed,  as  Bedford  lived,  his 
influence  had  been  wisely  exerted  and  beneficially 
felt.  At  the  beginning  of  the  reiga  the  Scots  had 
invaded  the  frontiers  vv'ith  two  distinct  armies,  but 
peace  was  secured  in  that  quarter  by  the  liberatiou 
of  their  king,  James  I.  With  the  temperament  of  a 
poet,  as  he  was,  the  royal  Scot  had,  during  his  pro- 
longed confinement  in  the  Tower,  formed  a  romantic 
attachment  to  Lady  Jane  Beaufort,  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Somerset,  and  cousin  of  the  King.  The  cap- 
tivating princess  was  given  to  him  in  marriage,  a  long 
peace  was  agreed  to,  and  so  far  matters  went  smooth- 
ly. But  Gloucester  possessed  neither  the  judgment 
nor  authority  of  Bedford ;  his  schemes  were  perpetu- 
ally thwarted  by  Cardinal  Beaufort,  a  rich,  powerful, 
and  intriguing  churchman  ;  and  his  power  was  ere 
long  totally  destroyed. 

"VYhen  Henry  had  reached  his  twenty-fourth  year,  it 
was  found  that,  though  possessed  of  monastic  virtues, 
he  was  totally  destitute  of  kingly  spirit  or  intelligence, 
and  it  was  thought  good  policy  to  unite  him  to  some 
princess  of  energy  and  decision.  The  Earl  of  Suflblk 
proposed  Margaret  of  Anjou,  cousin  of  the  French 
Q,ueen,  and  was  empowered,  in  defiance  of  Glouces- 
ter, to  negotiate  a  marriage,  and  conduct  her  to  En- 
gland. Margaret's  father,  Rene,  though  titular  King 
of  Naples,  Sicily,  and  Jerusalem,  was  so  poor,  that 
Henry  had  to  defray  the  cost  of  his  bride's  voyage 
homeward ;    and  she,  hating  Gloucester  for  his  op- 


JACK  CADE'S  OUTBREAK.        193 

position  to  her  elevation,  soon  made  her  dishke  evi- 
dent. 

In  the  first  instance,  his  beautiful  duchess,  Eleanor 
Cobham,  was  confined  to  a  castle  in  Man  as  a  sorcer- 
ess ;  and  soon  after  Gloucester  himself — "  the  good 
Duke  Humphrey,"  as  the  English  called  him — was 
arrested  while  attending  a  parliament,  and  in  a  few 
days  found  dead  in  his  bed.  But  this  rendered  the 
Glueen  and  Suffolk  so  unpopular,  that  the  latter  was 
impeached,  and  banished  the  realm.  However,  while 
sailing  toward  Calais,  his  vessels  were  taken  by  an 
English  ship-of-war ;  the  Duke,  after  remaining  on 
board  three  days,  was  transferred  to  a  boat ;  there  he 
was  lawlessly  beheaded,  and  the  people  rejoiced  that 
the  darling  of  the  dueen,  whom  they  detested  as  "  the 
foreign  woman,"  had  expiated  his  misdeeds. 

While  the  national  discontent  was  at  its  height. 
Jack  Cade,  an  Irish  soldier,  pretending  to  be  one  of 
the  Mortimers,  roused  a  multitude  to  insurrection,  and 
called  himself  the  Captain  of  Kent.  On  the  24th  of 
June,  1450,  Cade  defeated  the  royal  forces  at  Seven- 
oaks,  entered  London  in  triumph,  murdered  Lord  Say, 
slaughtered  many  of  the  city  magistrates,  and  finally, 
being  cast  off  by  his  followers,  fled  for  life  ;  but  he 
was  closely  pursued,  and  finally  slain,  by  Alexander 
Eden,  an  esquire  of  Kent. 

The  dueen  had  taken  into  her  confidence  the  Duke 
of  Somerset,  when  there  appeared  a  claimant  of  the 
crown  which  the  meek  Henry  wore.  This  was  Rich- 
N 


194  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.-ENGLAND. 

ard  Plantagenet,  duke  of  York,  whose  father  was  de- 
scended from  the  fifth,  but  his  mother  from  the  sec- 
ond, son  of  Edward  III.,  and  whose  title  was  there- 
fore preferable  to  that  of  the  line  of  John  of  Gaunt. 
The  splendid  achievements  of  Henry  V.  had  more 
than  made  up  for  a  defective  title  ;  but,  deeming  that 
the  hour  had  arrived  for  asserting  his  rights,  York,  in 
1452,  raised  an  insurrection,  with  the  avowed  object 
of  driving  Somerset  from  power.  Being  met  by  the 
King  at  Dartford,  induced  to  dismiss  his  forces,  and 
trust  himself  at  court,  he  was  seized  and  imprisoned. 
York's  enemies,  aware  that  his  eldest  son  Edward, 
earl  of  March,  was  in  arms  on  the  marches  of  Wales, 
thought  it  prudent  to  set  him  free ;  but  the  durance 
had  served  to  inflame  his  ambition,  and  the  King's 
derangement  encouraged  his  designs. 

The  house  of  Lancaster  had,  no  doubt,  been  strongly 
established  ;  but  York  found  friends,  who  would  have 
been  formidable  to  any  dynasty.  He  had  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  chief  of  the 
house  of  Neville,  deriving  its  descent  from  a  Saxon 
thane,  and  then  by  far  the  most  important  in  England. 
One  of  its  younger  sons  had,  with  the  hand  of  an  heir- 
ess, acquired  the  earldom  of  Salisbury,  displayed  his 
valor  in  the  wars  of  France,  and  earned  a  reputation 
for  wisdom,  knowledge,  and  experience.  Salisbury's 
eldest  son,  Richard  Neville,  was  still  more  eminent ; 
for  he  had  wedded  the  heiress  of  the  Beaucharaps, 
and  succeeded  at  once  to  their  title  of  Warwick  and  to 


WARWICK,   THE   KING-MAKER.  195 

their  vast  possessions.  Warwick  was,  beyond  compar- 
ison, the  noblest  subject  in  England,  and  the  most  pop- 
ular personage  in  Europe.  On  the  field  of  battle  his 
prowess  reminded  men  of  the  heroes  of  romance  ;  and 
he  was  the  idol  of  the  soldiery.  His  nature  was  gen- 
erous, his  patriotism  intense,  and  his  hospitality  all  but 
unlimited.  In  London  he  kept  open  house  ;  six  oxen 
were  usually  consumed  at  a  breakfast ;  and  every 
fighting-man  was  allowed  to  walk  into  the  kitcheir 
and  help  himself  to  as  much  meat  as  could  be  carried 
away  on  the  point  of  a  dagger.  At  the  same  time 
about  thirty  thousand  persons  were  fed  daily  at  the 
Earl's  mansions  and  castles  in  various  districts  of  En- 
gland. Such  was  the  potent  baron,  who,  with  his 
father  and  several  of  their  noble  kinsmen,  warmly  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  Duke  of  York. 

When  Parliament  assembled  in  1454,  after  Somer« 
set  had  been  sent  to  the  Tower,  York  was  nominated 
Protector,  till  Edward  prince  of  Wales,  who  had  been 
born  in  the  previous  year,  came  of  age.  The  author- 
ity of  Henry  would  thus  have  been  set  aside,  if  Q,ueen 
Margaret  had  not  been  a  woman  of  too  defiant  a  spirit 
to  submit  tamely.  Availing  herself  of  Henry's  partial 
recovery,  she  dismissed  York  and  liberated  Somerset. 
Then  civil  war  commenced ;  the  Yorkists,  assuming 
a  white  rose  as  their  badge,  took  up  arms ;  the  Lan- 
castrians, choosing  a  red  rose,  raised  the  royal  banner  ; 
and  the  hostile  forces  met  at  St.  Albans.  Victory  fell 
to  York ;   Somerset  was  slain,  and  the  King  taken 


196  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS— ENGLAND. 

prisoner :  but  Parliament,  wliile  it  confirmed  York's 
authority  as  Protector,  maintained  its  allegiance  to  the 
son  of  the  hero  of  Agincourt.  By  the  end  of  1459,  the 
(iueen's  high  spirit  so  effectually  sustained  the  courage 
of  her  friends,  that  the  Lancastrians  gained  considera- 
ble advantages ;  York  fled  to  Ireland ;  the  Neville 
barons  made  their  escape  to  Calais ;  and  Henry's 
cause  vk^as  in  the  ascendant.  York's  estates  and 
those  of  his  friends  were  confiscated ;  they  were  de- 
clared rebels  and  traitors  ;  and  in  revenge  for  this  se- 
verity, the  Earls  of  Sahsbury,  Warwick,  and  March, 
landed  in  Kent,  and  marching  to  London  were  re- 
ceived with  open  arms  by  the  citizens.  Proceeding 
to  Northampton,  they  routed  the  royal  forces,  and 
seized  upoii  Henry,  while  his  daimtless  Q,ueen  fled 
into  Wales,  and  thence  into  the  bishopric  of  Durham. 

After  this  victory  the  Duke  of  York,  returning  from 
Ireland,  openly  claimed  the  crown  in  Parliament,  and 
was  declared  the  rightful  heir ;  but  it  was  decided 
that  Henry  should  continue  king  for  hfe,  and  that 
York  should  rule  as  Protector.  Margaret  could  not 
submit  to  a  settlement  so  disadvantageous  to  her  son  ; 
she  organized  an  army  in  the  northern  counties,  where 
the  barons  were  devoted  to  her,  and  once  more  scat- 
tered her  foes  at  Wakefield.  York  was  slain  in  this 
battle ;  his  second  son  was  kiUed  when  flying ;  and 
the  aged  Earl  of  Sahsbury,  being  captured,  was  mer- 
cilessly executed. 

Margaret  now  threatened  to  execute  vengeance  od 


WARS    OF  THE   ROSES.  197 

the  metropolis  for  the  part  it  had  taken  against  her, 
and  the  citizens  were  pale  with  fright  as  they  thought 
of  those  spears  of  the  North  that  had  encircled  King 
Henry's  crown.  Their  fear,  however,  passed  away  ; 
for  on  the  25th  of  February,  14G1,  all  eyes  were  glad- 
dened with  the  sight  of  Edward  of  York,  as  he  led  his 
forces  thither  from  the  slaughter  of  Lancastrians  at 
Mortimer's  Cross.  The  victorious  prince  had  not  seen 
more  than  twenty  winters ;  his  face  was  a  model  of 
manly  beauty ;  his  person  was  singularly  handsome  ; 
and  his  martial  bravery  was  indisputable.  The  peo- 
ple declared  him  the  goodliest  personage  they  had 
ever  seen  ;  the  men  of  Kent  and  Essex  flocked  to 
gaze  upon  their  favorite ;  and  amidst  the  enthusiastic 
shouts  of  "  Long  live  King  Edward  !"  he  rode  through 
the  city  in  triumph,  and  mounted  the  throne  at  West- 
minster. 

Meantime,  from  beyond  the  Humber,  barons  of 
great  name  brought  warriors  with  stout  hearts  and 
strong  hands  to  the  standard  of  Glueen  Margaret  at 
Towton  ;  and  northward,  to  encounter  them,  marched 
the  Yorkist  King,  mider  the  inspiration  of  "Warwick. 
At  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  March 
the  two  armies  met,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  fall  of 
snow;  and  Warwick,  dismounting,  killed  his  horse, 
declaring  that  he  would  conquer  or  die.  Edward 
ordered  that  no  quarter  should  be  given,  and  after 
a  furious  fight  till  the  afternoon,  victory  fell  to  the 
Yorkists,-    dueen  Margaret,  attended  by  the .  Dukes 


198  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

of  Exeter  and  Somerset,  carried  her  helpless  hushand 
into  Scotland,  and  found  refuge  at  the  court  of  her 
congenial  kinswoman,  Mary  of  Gueldre,  while  Ed- 
ward returned  to  London,  where  he  was  crowned 
with  the  usual  ceremonies. 

At  Grafton — under  the  roof  of  her  father,  Sir  Rich- 
ard Woodville,  who  had  long  hefore  wedded  Jacquet- 
ta,  reUct  of  the  Protector-Duke  of  Bedford — Elizabeth 
Gray,  a  young  and  accomplished  widow,  was  mourn- 
ing the  loss  of  a  husband,  slain  while  fighting  for  the 
red  rose  ;  when  Edward,  going  to  amuse  himself  with 
hunting  in  the  forest  of  "Vyhittlebury,  paid  the  old 
knight  and  his  duchess  a  visit.  Elizabeth's  beauty 
fairly  captivated  the  heart  of  the  youthful  King  ;  and 
the  duchess  managed  matters  so  skillfully,  that  the 
enamored  monarch  at  length  proposed  a  private  mar- 
riage. Accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  May,  that  morning 
of  the  year  when  in  meny  old  England  young  people 
went  to  the  fields  and  gathered  may  or  green  boughs 
to  deck  their  houses,  and  when  milkmaids  wreathed 
their  pails  with  garlands,  and  prepared  to  dance  round 
maypoles,  the  Duchess,  with  two  gentlewomen,  con- 
ducted her  daughter  to  the  httle  chapel,  where  they 
were  met  by  the  King,  the  priest,  and  the  mass-boy ; 
and  there,  with  the  utmost  secrecy.  King  Edward  re- 
ceived the  hand  of  the  very  charmmg  young  widow. 

While  Edward  was  thus  defying  the  futiure,  civil 
war  was  raging  in  the  North ;  and  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1464,  Margaret  gave  battle,  at  Hexham,  to 


THE   QUEEN'S   FLIGHT  FROM  HEXHAM.      199 

Lord  Montagu,  the  brother  of  "Warwick.  The  Lan- 
castrians were  dispersed  with  great  slaughter,  and 
their  Q,ueen  escaped  with  difficulty  into  a  wood,  lead- 
ing her  little  son  by  the  hand.  la.  the  dusk  of  even- 
ing they  were  met  by  a  gang  of  robbers,  who,  after 
seizing  the  Uueen's  rings  and  jewels,  allowed  her  to 
escape  while  they  wrangled  over  the  spoil.  Margaret 
continued  her  flight,  till,  faint  with  fatigue,  she  sat 
down  to  rest  for  a  short  space.  Suddenly  she  per- 
ceived coming  toward  her  one  of  the  bandits  with  his 
sword  drawn,  but,  mustering  up  her  natural  courage, 
she  presented  to  him  the  ill-starred  prince,  saying, 
with  her  most  majestic  manner,  "  Here,  my  friend, 
save  your  king's  son  I"  The  outlaw,  touched  with 
compassion,  treated  them  with  profound  respect,  and 
being  acquainted  with  every  avenue  of  the  forest, 
conducted  them  to  the  coast,  where  he  procured  a 
vessel,  which  landed  them  in  Flanders.  Henry  was 
less  fortimate  :  closely  pursued  from  the  field,  his  hel- 
met and  equipage  were  captured ;  and  after  lurking 
for  a  year  in  the  caves  and  woods  of  Lancashire  he 
was  discovered,  and  committed  to  the  Tower. 

The  result  of  the  encounter  at  Hexham  was  such, 
and  the  dispersion  of  the  vanquished  so  complete,  that 
when  September  arrived  Edward  ventured  to  reveal 
his  marriage,  summoned  a  great  council  of  barons 
and  prelates  in. the  abbey  of  Reading,  induced  his 
brother  George,  duke  of  Clarence,  and  the  Earl  of 
"Warwick,  to  present  Elizabeth  to  the  assembled  peers 


200  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

as  their  queen,  and  in  the  spring  of  1465  had  her 
crowned  at  "Westiiiinster,  amidst  feasts  and  tourna- 
ments. 

So  far  all  was  well;  but,  in  1467,  unpropitious 
events  occurred.  The  hand  of  Edward's  sister,  Mar- 
garet, was  sought  for  by  the  son  of  Louis  XI.  of 
France,  and  by  Charles,  Duke  of  Burgundy.  War- 
wick urged  the  policy  of  an  alliance  with  France, 
and  was  sent  to  Rouen  to  negotiate  a  marriage.  But 
while  the  stout  Earl  was  on  the  Continent,  an  illegit- 
imate brother  of  Charles  appeared  at  the  English 
court,  and  was  successful  in  obtaining  from  Edward 
a  promise  that  Margaret  should  become  Duchess  of 
Burgundy.  Warwick,  considering  that  he  had  been 
insulted,  retired  in  wrath  to  his  castle  of  Middleham ; 
and  subsequent  affairs  so  exasperated  his  proud  spirit, 
that,  in  1470,  he  repaired  to  France  with  the  Duke 
of  Clarence,  who  had  married  his  daughter  Isabel. 
There,  in  the  castle  of  Amboise,  Warwick  made  his 
peace  with  Q.ueen  Margaret,  and  contracted  his 
daughter  Anne  to  Edward  the  Lancastrian  prince 
of  Wales.  Landing  in  England,  the  Earl  drove  Ed- 
ward to  seek  shelter  in  Burgundy,  and  restored  the 
monkish  Henry  to  the  throne  ;  but  the  royal  exile  re- 
turning suddenly,  gathered  a  numerous  army,  and 
took  the  field  at  Barnet.  Warwick,  though  deserted 
on  the  eve  of  battle  by  the  perjured -Clarence,  made 
a  noble  struggle,  and  fell,  fighting  bravely  on  foot, 
along  with  Lord  Montagu. 


ROUT   OF   THE    LANCASTRIANS.  201 

Margaret,  arriving  at  "Weymouth  on  the  evening 
after  Barnet  had  been  lost,  was  defeated  by  Edward 
at  Tewkesbury,  on  the  banks  of  the  Severn.  Prince 
Edward  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Yorkist  King,  by 
whose  brothers  he  is  said  to  have  been  stabbed. 
Henry  was  already  in  their  power,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  been  murdered  by  the  Duke  of  Gloucester. 
Margaret  took  refuge  in  a  convent,  but  was  seized 
and  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  where  she  remained  till 
ransomed  by  her  father.  The  position  of  the  Lancas- 
trian lords  was  sad  in  the  extreme.  Somerset  was 
beheaded  ;  Oxford  was  sent  to  a  castle  in  Picardy, 
and  confined  for  the  next  twelve  years,  while  his 
Countess  supported  herself  by  needlework.  Exeter, 
who  had  been  left  for  dead  on  the  field  of  Barnet, 
escaped  to  Flanders,  where,  reduced  to  poverty,  he 
was  observed  running  after  Charles  of  Burgundy. 
The  two  Dukes  had  married  sisters ;  but  so  wretched 
was  Exeter's  condition,  that  Burgundy  could  not  rec- 
ognize in  the  bare-legged  mortal  before  him  the  once 
proud  and  exalted  representative  of  the  great  House 
of  Holand.  On  learning  that  his  brother-in-law  w^as 
so  depressed.  Burgundy  settled  a  small  pension  on  the 
hapless  nobleman  ;  but  the  latter  did  not  survive  to 
gee  the  smile  of  fortune's  better  day,  his  corpse  being 
goon  after  found  floating  in  the  sea  near  Dover. 

The  throne  of  Edward  was  now  secure  ;  and  col- 
lecting an  army  of  eighteen  thousand  men,  he  landed 
at  Calais  to  attempt  the  conquest  of  France.     Louis, 


202  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

however,  contrived  to  have  an  interview  with  the 
invader  on  a  bridge  near  Amiens,  with  a  strong  bar- 
ricade of  wood  between  them,  and  bribed  and  pen- 
sioned the  King  of  England  to  go  home. 

From  that  date  the  hfe  of  Edward  was  spent  in 
liunting,  dressing,  and  love-making.  But,  in  1478, 
becoming  suspicious  of  his  brother  Clarence,  he  sum- 
moned a  Parliament,  and  appeared  as  prosecutor. 
The  Duke  was  pronounced  guilty,  and  afterward 
drowned  in  a  butt  of  malmsey.  Two  years  later, 
Edward  went  to  his  grave  in  the  new  chapel  at 
Windsor,  leaving  two  sons  and  several  daughters. 

Edward  V.  was  a  boy  of  thirteen  when  his  father 
died.  Richard,  duke  of  Gloucester,  who  was  then 
Warden  of  the  West  Marches,  immediately  moved 
southward  with  five  thousand  men,  and  being  im- 
bued with  the  maxims  of  Italian  policy,  entertained 
the  design  of  using  his  authority  as  Lord  Protector  to 
seize  upon  the  crown.  It  was  therefore  given  out 
that  the  late  King  had  been,  in  boyhood,  married  to 
the  Lady  Eleanor  Talbot,  and  therefore  that  tlueen 
Elizabeth's  children  were  illegitimate,  while  the  at- 
tainder of  Clarence  had  disqualified  his  offspring. 
Lord  Hastings,  who  stood  by  the  sons  of  his  departed 
master,  was  accused  of  treason  and  executed,  as  the 
Lords  Rivers  and  Grey  had  aheady  been.  The  King 
and  his  brother  were  in  the  hands  of  Gloucester,  who 
had  lodged  them  in  the  Tower. 

Of  late  years,  the  city  of  London,  from  always 


MURDER  OF  THE   PRINCES.  203 

favoring  the  house  of  York,  had  acquired  much  influ- 
ence in  the  destinies  of  the  nation.  Gloucester,  there- 
fore, gained  over  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  ;  and  that 
prince  of  the  blood  being  a  man  of  power  and  intel- 
lect, induced  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Aldermen  to  ofier 
the  throne  to  the  Protector,  who  accepted  it  with  ap- 
parent reluctance. 

Richard  III.  was  crowned  on  the  6th  of  July,  1483, 
with  his  wife  Anne,  daughter  of  the  great  Warwick, 
and  immediately  undertook  a  royal  progress  through 
the  country.  Learning  that,  dm'ing  his  absence  from 
London,  plots  were  formed  to  free  the  young  princes, 
Richard,  while  at  Gloucester,  sent  a  messenger  to 
Brackenbury,  governor  of  the  Tower,  commanding 
him  to  make  away  with  the  royal  boys.  Brackenbuiy 
declined  the  business,  as  altogether  too  perilous  ;  and 
Richard  thereupon  sent  Tyrrel,  his  Master  of  the  Horse* 
with  a  commission  to  get  and  keep  possession  of  the 
Tower  for  twenty-four  hours.  Tyrrel,  accompanied  by 
his  groom  and  another  ruffian,  went  on  an  evenmg  in 
August  to  the  chamber  where  the  princes  were  asleep, 
and  remained  outside  till  his  accomphces  smothered  the 
unfortunate  boys.  Tyrrel  then  entered,  viewed  the 
lifeless  bodies,  and  had  them  buried  beneath  the  stairs. 

Richard  had  scarcely  attained  the  object  of  his 
ambition  when  he  seized  and  beheaded  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham,  on  the  charge  of  conspiracy  ;  and  on 
the  death  of  his  only  son  in  1484,  he  is  accused  of 
having  murdered  his  Clueen,  in  order  to  strengthen 


204  HISTORY  P^OR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

his  position  by  a  new  matrimonial  alliance.  But  the 
usurper,  however  vigilant  and  unscrupulous,  could  not 
resist  his  fate  ;  and  men  began,  in  the  hour  of  extreme 
need,  to  look  for  deliverance  to  a  prince  who  had  a 
very  slight  claim  to  be  considered  as  the  heir  of  the 
Lancastrian  kings. 

Three  or  four  years  after  the  death  of  the  conqueror 
of  Agincourt.  his  graceful  and  beautiful  widow,  Cath- 
erine of  France,  became  the  wife  of  Owen  Tudor,  a 
Welsh  gentleman  of  obscure  position,  but  of  ancient 
descent.  They  had,  besides  other  children,  two  sons, 
Henry,  earl  of  Richmond,  and  Jasper,  earl  of  Pem- 
broke ;  and  the  former,  having  married  Margaret  Beau- 
fort, daughter  of  the  first  Duke  of  Somerset,  grandson 
of  John  of  Gaunt,  became  the  father  of  a  boy  named 
Henry.  From  his  fifth  year,  the  lad  had  always  been 
a  captive  or  a  fugitive ;  and  when  double  that  age, 
his  existence  had  been  all  but  forgotten.  In  1471, 
however,  his  inicle,  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  whose  spot- 
less loyalty  to  the  house  of  Lancaster  had  entailed  on 
him  the  harsh  necessity  of  wandering  over  Europe  as 
a  vagabond,  happened  to  visit  his  Welsh  estates,  which 
had  been  bestowed  during  his  exile  on  a  Yorkist  named 
Herbert.  There,  in  the  custody  of  Herbert's  lady,  he 
found  the  young  Earl  of  Richmond,  whom  he  brought 
to  London,  and  presented  at  the  court  of  Henry  VL 
But  when  the  result  of  Tewkesbury  had  wrecked  the 
hopes  of  the  Lancastrians,  Pembroke  and  his  nephew 
embarked  to  seek  refuge  from  Lovxis  of  France  ;  and 


BATTLE   OF   BOSWORTH.  205 

their  vessel  being  driven  on  the  coast  of  Brittany,  they 
were  detained  as  captives,  but  still  treated  handsome- 
ly, by  Duke  Francis,  who  steadily  resisted  Edward's 
eflbrts  to  procure  their  extradition.  At  length  Rich- 
ard, by  corrupting  Landois,  the  Breton  minister,  was 
on  the  point  of  securing  Richmond,  when  the  latter, 
warned  of  the  plot,  fled  by  forest-paths  to  the  French 
court,  and  was  supplied  with  men  and  money  by  King 
Charles.  In  Normandy  he  was  met  by  the  Earl  of 
Oxford,  who  had  escaped  from  prison.  They  landed 
their  little  force  in  Wales,  and  were  speedily  joined  by 
the  natives  and  several  English  noblemen.  Richard 
assembled  a  large  army ;  and  about  a  mile  south  of 
Bosworth,  on  a  spacious  plain  encompassed  by  hills, 
the  two  armies  met  on  an  August  morning.  Richard, 
with  the  crown  on  his  head,  advanced  his  lines ;  and 
the  new  Duke  of  Norfolk  commenced  the  attack.  But 
the  rest  of  his  army  wavering,  Richard  shouted  "  Trea- 
son I"  and,  spurring  his  war-steed,  made  a  fiery  and 
impetuous  charge.  Carrying  all  before  him,  he  pen- 
etrated even  to  his  competitor's  banner,  killed  Sir 
William  Brandon,  who  bore  the  standard,  and  smote 
another  knight  to  the  ground.  He  then  raised  his 
weapon  to  slay  Richmond  himself;  but  the  host  closed 
upon  him,  and  being  unhorsed  he  was  pierced  with 
many  wounds.  Lord  Stanley  picked  up  the  crown, 
and  placed  it  on  Richmond's  head.  A  cry  of  "  Long 
live  King  Henry  I"  rung  over  the  field ;  and  the 
mangled  corpse  of  the  last  Plantagenet  king,  being 


206  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

placed  on  horseback,  was  conveyed  to  Leicester,  and 
there  exposed  to  the  public  gaze,  that  none  should  en- 
tertain doubts  about  the  tyrant's  death. 

Henry  YIL,  fast  king  of  the  Tudor  line,  when  seat- 
ed on  the  throne,  espoused  Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter 
of  the  fourth  Edward,  but  manifested  so  little  affec- 
tion for  her  family  that  the  partisans  of  York  were  far 
from  satisfied  ;  and  the  Duchess  of  Burgundy,  aunt  to 
the  new  Q.ucen,  encouraged  them  to  rebellion. 

The  first  attempt  to  disturb  Henry's  peace  was 
made  by  Lambert  Simnel,  the  son  of  a  jouier,  who 
pretended  to  be  the  Earl  of  AYarwick,  son  of  the  Duke 
of  Clarence ;  but  as  Heniy  had  that  guileless  young 
nobleman  in  captivity,  he  took  means  to  satisfy  the 
public  of  the  imposture,  and  did  something  toward 
suppressing  the  rising  spirit  of  discontent  by  crowning 
his  Glueen  as  the  rightful  heiress  of  the  line  of  York. 
Nevertheless,  Simnel  having  passed  over  to  Ireland, 
was  proclaimed  King  at  Dublin ;  and  the  Duchess  of 
Burgundy,  having  furnished  him  with  a  body  of  Ger- 
man auxiliaries,  he  landed  in  England,  and  Avas  sup- 
ported by  the  Earl  of  Lincoln,  Lord  Lovel,  and  other 
•  men  of  rank.  But  they  were  totally  defeated,  and 
their  leader,  Martin  Sevart,  killed,  at  the  village  of 
Stoke,  near  Newark.  Lincoln  was  slain  on  the  field  ; 
Lovel  swam  the  Trent  on  horseback,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  afterward  lived  concealed  in  a  subterranean 
apartment  of  his  house  in  Oxfordshire  ;  while  Sim- 
nel, being  taken,  was  employed  to  carry  wood  to  the 


PERKIN  WARBECK.  207 

royal  kitchen,  and  finally  appointed  one  of  the  fal- 
coners. 

Simnel's  insurrection  was  succeeded  by  one  of  a 
more  serious  character.  King  Henry  had,  at  tho 
Emperor's  request,  undertaken  an  expedition  against 
France  ;  and  the  opportunity  was  seized  to  bring  for- 
ward a  new  claimant  in  the  person  of  Perkin  "War- 
beck,  the  son  of  a  Flemish  Jew,  but  born  in  London. 
Perkin  had  in  childhood  been  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Tournay,  between  which  place  and  Antwerp  he  long 
roved,  living  much  in  the  company  of  Englishmen, 
and  acquiring  proficiency  in  their  language.  On  ap- 
proaching manhood  he  became  known  to  the  Duchess 
of  Burgundy,  who,  considering  him  a  fitting  instru- 
ment for  her  purpose,  maintained  him  in  secrecy  till 
he  was  fully  instructed  in  the  part  he  had  to  play.  It 
was  then  announced  that  he  was  the  Duke  of  York, 
youngest  of  the  princes  smothered  in  the  Tower  ;  and 
the  likeness  was  acknowledged  to  be  striking.  The 
Duchess  publicly  called  the  "  Flemish  counterfeit"  her 
nephew,  gave  him  the  title  of  "  The  "White  Rose  of 
England,"  and  appointed  him  a  guard  of  halberdiers. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  invited  by 
King  Charles  to  Paris,  and  there  received  with  the 
honors  due  to  royalty.  But  Henry,  having  agreed  to 
a  peace  with  France,  the  aspiring  youth  repaired  to 
Flanders,  where  he  was  openly  joined  by  many  York- 
ists. Hitherto  the  disaffected  in  England  had  been 
like  a  rope  of  sand,  and  incapable  of  acting  in  concert. 


208  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

They  were  now  inspired  with  the  hope  of  making  head 
against  King  Henry's  power. 

A  descent  on  the  coast  of  Kent  was  first  attempted, 
but  proved  vuisuccessful  ;  and  an  expedition  to  Ireland 
was  not  more  fortunate.  Perkin  then  sailed  to  Scot- 
land, persuaded  King  James  that  he  was  a  real  prince. 
That  chivalrous  monarch  testified  implicit  behef  in 
the  cunningly-devised  fable,  by  giving  him  the  hand 
of  Lady  Catherine  Gordon,  a  lady  of  rare  excellence 
and  exquisite  beauty  ;  and  then  mustering  an  army, 
he  marched  over  the  border  to  support  AVarbeck's  pre- 
tensions. The  latter,  professing  the  tenderness  of  a 
sovereign  for  his  natural  subjects,  protested  against 
the  ravages  of  the  Scots  ;  on  which  James,  beginning 
to  suspect  the  imposture,  replied  that  his  ally  was  too 
solicitous  about  what,  perhaps,  was  none  of  his  own, 
and  returned  home.  To  avenge  this  inroad,  the  Earl 
of  Surrey  crossed  the  Tweed,  took  the  fortress  of  Ay- 
toun,  and  ravaged  the  Merse. 

"Warbeck,  landing  again  near  Exeter,  was  joined  by 
some  Cornish  insurgents;  but  on  Henry's  taking  the 
field  in  person  he  fled  in  the  darkness  of  night,  and  his 
adherents  dispersed.  Pursued,  and  taken  at  the  sanc- 
tuary of  Beaulieu,  Perkin  was  sent  under  a  guard  to 
London,  confined  in  the  Tower,  and  hanged  as  a  traitor 
at  Tyburn.  About  the  same  time,  the  unfortunate 
Earl  of  Warwick  was  unjustly  condemned  and  be- 
headed. The  Lady  Catherine  was  found,  on  War- 
beck's  flight,  at  St.  Michael's  Mount,  and  retained 


STATE    MARRIAGES.  209 

for  a  while  in  gentle  captivity  about  the  person  of  the 
Q,ueen. 

Order  being  restored,  Henry  appHed  himself  to  form- 
ing royal  alliances  for  his  children.  His  eldest  son, 
Arthur,  prince  of  Wales,  was  united  to  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Fei'dinand  of  Spain  ;  and  the  Princess 
Margaret  was  bestowed  upon  the  Scottish  King.  This 
state  marriage  was  destined  to  exercise  no  small  influ- 
ence on  the  future  of  England.  Henry  now  felt  secure, 
and  having  boasted  that  a  wall  of  brass  was  built 
around  the  kingdom,  he  expired  in  1509. 

Arthur,  prince  of  Wales,  having  died  soon  after  his 
marriage,  the  crown  was  inherited  by  his  brother 
Henry  VHI.,  who  was  regarded  as  a  prince  of  great 
promise.  The  Yorkist  faction  were  content  to  recog- 
nize him  as  the  true  representative  of  his  maternal 
grandfather  ;  and  the  young  King  considered  his  right 
to  the  crown  of  England  as  so  much  better  than  his 
father's,  that  he  determined  to  take  part  in  the  Con- 
tinental wars,  with  the  view  of  recovering  the  ancient 
possessions  of  the  English  kings  in  France.  In  the 
mean  time,  having  obtained  a  dispensation  from  the 
Pope,  he  espoused  Catherine,  widow  of  his  deceased 
brother,  and  their  nuptials  were  succeeded  by  six 
months'  feasting,  jousts,  and  tournaments. 

In  order  to  draw  Henry  into  the  Italian  league,  the 

Pope  sent  him  a  golden  rose  dipped  in   chrism  and 

perfumed  with  musk,  accompanied  by  letters  full  of 

complaints    against    Louis    of  France.      Upon    this, 

0 


210  HISTORY    FOR    BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Henry  landed  at  Calais  with  an  army,  and  com- 
menced hostilities.  In  this  emergency,  Louis  invoked 
the  aid  of  his  single  ally  ;  and  his  queen,  Anne  of 
Brittany,  -wTote  the  Scottish  monarch  a  letter,  entreat- 
ing him  to  march  into  England  for  her  sake,  and  sent 
him  a  ring  from  her  own  fair  hand,  with  fourteen 
thousand  crowns  in  money. 

From  the  period  of  the  hridal  of  James  and  the 
Princess  Margaret,  his  kingdom  had  enjoyed  an  un- 
wonted degree  of  repose  ;  the  arts  of  peace  had  been 
cultivated  with  encouraging  success ;  and  the  populace 
had  been  delighted  with  tournaments  and  other  ex- 
citing spectacles.  This  invitation  could  not,  therefore, 
have  been  highly  relished.  Yet,  so  fantastic  were 
his  ideas  of  chivalry,  that  James  assembled  a  nume- 
rous army,  and  entering  England  in  August,  1513, 
took  Fordcastle,  with  other  strongholds,  and  ravaged 
Northumberland  without  opposition.  Henry  was  still 
in  France  ;  but  the  Earl  of  Surrey,  having  mustered 
a  force,  and  being  joined  by  his  son,  the  Admiral  of 
England,  gave  the  Scots  battle  at  Flodden,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Till,  and  gained  a  decisive  victory.  The 
King  of  Scots  fought  with  heroic  valor,  but  on  seeing 
his  standard-bearer  fall  rushed  into  the  thickest  of  the 
fray,  and  fell  pierced  with  many  wounds.  Ten  thou- 
sand of  his  subjects,  including  a  large  proportion  of 
his  nobles,  were  slain  ;  and  his  eldest  son  being  a 
child  of  seventeen  months  old,  the  state  of  Scotland 
was  so  deplorable,  that  Henry,  from  motives  of  pcJ- 


CARDINAL   WOLSEY.  211 

icy  and  humanity,  agreed  to  a  suspension  of  hostili- 
ties. 

Next  year  a  peace  was  conckided  with  France, 
and  Louis,  having  in  the  mean  time  lost  his  queen, 
espoused  Henry's  sister,  the  Princess  Mary.  Louis 
dying  soon  afterward,  his  royal  widow,  in  the  bloom 
and  heauty  of  seventeen,  was  bestowed  upon  the  Duke 
of  Suflblk  ;  and  from  this  marriage  sprung  the  vuifor- 
tunate  Lady  Jane  Grey. 

"When  King  Francis,  in  his  impetuous  pursuit  of 
glory,  commenced  with  the  Emperor  Charles  that 
struggle  which  cost  so  much  blood  and  treasure,  Hen- 
ry inclined  to  an  alliance  with  France,  renewed  the 
treaty  of  peace,  and  appointed  a  conference  with  the 
chivalrous  monarch  at  Calais ;  but  his  politics  were 
soon  changed  to  meet  the  ambitious  views  of  Cardinal 
Wolsey,  his  powerful  minister.  "VVolsey's  father — a 
substantial  butcher  in  Ipswich — had  educated  his  ex- 
traordinary son  for  the  Cburch  ;  and  in  due  time  the 
youth  had  become  chaplain  to  the  Treasurer  of  Calais, 
through  whose  influence  he  had  come  under  the  notice 
of  the  seventh  Henry,  by  whom  he  had  been  employed 
as  embassador  to  the  Emperor  Maximilian.  On  the 
accession  of  Henry  VHL,  Wolsey  had  become  the 
young  king's  bosom  friend,  and  gradually  risen  to  be 
Lord  Chancellor  and  Archbishop  of  York.  Espous- 
ing the  cause  of  the  Emperor,  from  a  belief  that  he 
might,  by  that  course,  reach  the  papal  throne,  he  in- 
vited Charles  to  England  ;   and  the  latter's   arrival 


212  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

was  suddenly  announced  on  the  eve  of  Henry's  ex- 
pedition to  Calais.  Charles,  after  being  magiiifi- 
cently  entertained,  departed  with  a  conviction  that 
he  had  won  Henry  from  the  cause  of  his  rival ;  and 
Henry  sailed  to  keep  liis  appointment  with  the  King 
of  France  on  "  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold."  No- 
thing could  exceed  the  splendor  of  the  festivities  on 
the  occasion,  but  no  sooner  were  they  at  an  end  than 
Hcniy  went  to  visit  the  Emperor  at  Gravelines ;  and 
the  latter,  returning  with  the  English  King  to  Calais, 
was  overjoyed  at  the  good  fortune  of  his  aunt,  dueen 
Catherine,  in  being  the  spouse  of  so  magnificent  a 
prince. 

Ere  long,  however,  Henry  began  to  give  utterance 
to  doubts  in  regard  to  the  validity  of  his  marriage 
with  Catherine,  from  the  awkward  fact  of  her  hav- 
ing formerly  been  the  wife  of  his  brother  Arthur. 
Accordingly,  he  solicited  the  Pope  for  a  divorce  ;  but 
being  apprehensive  of  either  mortally  offending  Henry 
by  a  refusal  and  the  Emperor  by  compliance,  his  Ho- 
liness sought  refuge  in  delay.  All  artifices  were  vain ; 
for  Henry,  falling  violently  in  love  with  Lord  Roch- 
ford's  daughter,  Anne  Boleyn,  who  had  been  educated 
at  the  French  court,  and  impatient  to  make  her  queen, 
took  the  law  into  his  own  hands,  disgraced  Wolsey, 
and  caused  Cranmer,  archbishop  of  Canterbury-,  to 
annul  his  former  marriage.  The  Pope,  enraged  at 
this  step,  issued  a  bull  condemnatory  of  Cranmcr's 
proceedings,  but  this   interference   was  met  with   a 


THE   REFORMATION.  213 

vigor  and  attended  with  consequences  hardly  antici- 
pated. 

The  doctrines  taught  by  WicUfie,  and  the  trans- 
lation of  Scripture  into  the  vernacular  tongue,  had 
prepared  the  minds  of  Englishmen  for  that  revolu- 
tion in  religious  opinions  which  was  now  to  be  ac- 
complished. Under  a  system  of  persecution,  indeed, 
the  Lollards,  or  professed  followers  of  Wiclifle,  were 
few  ;  and  Henry  VIII.  was  not  of  their  number.  On 
the  contrary,  he  had  displayed  his  intellectual  prow- 
ess by  writing  "  A  Defense  of  the  Seven  Sacraments," 
in  answer  to  Luther's  treatise,  "  The  Babylonish  Cap- 
tivity." The  work  had  been  dedicated  to  the  Pope, 
who  gratefully  conferred  on  its  royal  author  the  title 
of  "  Defender  of  the  Faith."  Nevertheless,  he  now 
set  the  papal  power  at  defiance,  and  proclaimed  him- 
self Supreme  Head  of  the  Church  of  England.  Par- 
hament  ratified  this  title  :  the  Pope's  jurisdiction  with- 
in the  realm  was  suppressed  :  monasteries  were  abol- 
ished ;  and  their  confiscated  revenues  granted  to  the 
King's  favorite  minions. 

Meanwhile  Henry's  marriage  with  Anne  Boleyn 
was  solemnized,  but,  capricious  in  his  afiections,  he 
mercilessly  sent  her  to  the  scafibld  to  make  way  for 
Jane  Seymour,  a  maid  of  honor ;  on  whose  death, 
alarmed  at  the  complimentarj'^  visits  passing  between 
the  Emperor  and  the  King  of  France,  he  courted  the 
alliance  of  the  Protestant  powers  of  Germany  by 
wedding  Anne  of  Cleves.     This  lady  was  divorced  in 


214  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

a  few  months,  and  succeeded  by  Catlierine  Howard, 
whom  he  beheaded  to  marry  Catherine  Parr.  She 
was  fortunate  enough  to  maintain  her  perilous  emi- 
nence, and  outhve  the  violent  and  blood-thirsty  ty- 
rant. 

On  the  death  of  his  nephew,  the  fifth  James  of 
Scotland,  celebrated  as  the  King  of  the  Commons, 
Henry  conceived  hopes  of  peaceably  uniting  that 
country  to  England.  With  this  view  he  proposed  to 
affiance  Edward,  prince  of  Wales,  his  son  by  Jane 
Seymour,  to  Mary,  the  infant  Q,ueen  of  Scots.  But 
the  French  faction,  and  the  clergy,  headed  by  Cardi- 
nal Beaton,  an  artful,  ambitious,  and  luxurious  pre- 
late, were  successful  in  defeating  this  scheme,  and 
arraying  the  national  prejudices  against  the  English 
alliance.  Henry  endeavored  to  prevail  on  Arran,  the 
governor,  to  send  the  infant  Q,ueen  to  England,  and, 
to  facilitate  matters,  offered  to  give  the  Princess  Eliz- 
abeth in  marriage  to  Arran's  son,  and  make  him  King 
of  Scotland  beyond  the  Forth.  But  this  project  being 
frustrated  by  a  liberal  distribution  of  French  gold 
among  the  Scottish  nobles,  and  the  Clueen  conveyed 
to  France,  Henry  sent  an  array  northward  under  the 
command  of  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  who  pillaged  Ed- 
inburgh and  rode  roughshod  through  a  great  part  of 
Scotland.  The  dawn  of  the  Reformation  and  the 
murder  of  Cardinal  Beaton  involved  that  unhappy 
country  in  fresh  troubles,  and  at  this  momentous  cri- 
sis, in  1547,  Henry  closed  his  eventful  life. 


REIGN   OF  THE   BOY-KING.  215 

Edward  VI.  was  a  mere  child  when  he  ascended 
the  throne,  having  just  completed  his  first  decade  of 
years.  His  maternal  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Somerset, 
was  appointed  Protector,  and  hastened  to  fulfill  the 
intentions  of  the  late  King  in  regard  to  Scotland.  The 
French  had  sent  a  fleet  to  the  aid  of  their  ancient 
alhes,  and  reduced  the  castle  of  St.  Andrews,  within 
whose  walls  the  party  who  had  dispatched  Beaton, 
since  joined  by  the  famous  John  Knox,  had  shut  them- 
selves up  ;  when  Somerset,  entering  Scotland,  gained 
a  complete  victory  at  Pinkey,  visited  the  capital,  and 
then  returning,  encamped  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Tweed  and  the  Tevoit.  Observing  the  strong  and 
convenient  situation  of  the  ruinous  castle  of  Rox- 
burgh, he  had  its  walls  roughly  but  rapidly  rebuilt, 
and  there  received  the  submission  of  the  chief  men  in 
the  vicinage. 

The  reign  of  Edward,  brief  as  it  was,  did  not  pass 
without  popular  commotions  and  civil  broils.  The 
reformed  liturgy  having  been  established  by  Parlia- 
ment, and  aia  act  for  uniformity  in  the  use  of  it  passed, 
the  priests  of  the  ancient  faith  instigated  the  people  in 
jN'orfolk  and  Devonshire  to  oppose  the  innovations  in 
religion ;  but  the  rebellions  thus  created  were  put 
down  with  a  strong  hand.  Moreover,  a  plot  against 
Somerset  was  formed  by  his  brother.  Lord  Sudely, 
who  was  thereupon  sent  to  the  block.  He  found  an 
avenger  in  Dudley,  duke  of  Northumberland,  who, 
after  impeaching  Somerset,  had  him  beheaded,  and 


216  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

seized  the  reins  of  government.  Northumberland's 
sway  was  not  of  long  duration  ;  for  in  the  summer  of 
1553  the  excellent  and  rehgious  young  King  expired, 
and  the  ambitious  duke,  having  been  baffled  in  an  at- 
tempt to  place  his  daughter-in-law,  Lady  Jane  Grey, 
on  the  throne,  fell  a  victim  to  his  own  devouring  am- 
bition. Being  totally  ruined,  and  ultimately  behead- 
ed, his  possessions  reverted  to  the  rightful  owners. 

Mary,  the  daughter  of  the  eighth  Henry  and  Cath- 
erine of  Arragon,  then  became  Clueen  of  England. 
She  had  been  severely  treated  during  her  brother's 
reign  for  breaking  a  law  which  prohibited  Papists 
from  worshiping  after  their  ovm  forms.  But,  on  at- 
tempting to  escape  from  the  country,  she  was  allowed 
to  have  mass  performed  privately ;  and  she  adhered, 
wdth  peculiar  bigotry,  to  the  superstitions  of  Rome. 
On  succeedmg  to  the  throne  she  restored  the  Romish 
religion.  Preparatory  to  their  being  committed  to  the 
flames,  Cranmer,  Ridley,  and  Latimer,  were  lodged 
in  the  Tower.  Cardinal  Pole,  and  Gardiner,  bishop 
of  Winchester,  became  the  Clueen's  principal  advisers ; 
fire  and  fagot  were  miscrupulously  used ;  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  persons  were  burnt  at  the  stake  ; 
the  blood  of  Protestants  was  shed  like  water ;  and 
eight  hundred  Englishmcix  betook  themselves  to  a 
voluntary  exile  rather  than  do  violence  to  their  con- 
scientious convictions.  In  the  course  of  the  year  suc- 
ceeding her  succession,  the  Clueen,  having  availed 
herself  of  the  excuse  afibrded  by  Wyatt's  rebellion  to 


ACCESSION    OF   ELIZABETH.  217 

put  Lady  Jane  Grey  and  her  husband  to  deatli,  be- 
stowed her  blood-stained  hand  on  the  King  of  Spain, 
whose  cruelty  and  bigotry  were  fully  equal  to  her 
own.  Though  Philip  treated  Mary  with  neglect  and 
aversion,  she  was  extravagantly  fond  of  him,  even 
meditated  making  England  a  fief  of  Spain,  and  de- 
clared war  against  France  for  liis  gratification.  After 
losing  Calais,  which  the  English  had  held  for  two 
centuries,  and  earning  the  epithet  of  "  the  Bloody," 
Mary  died  at  the  end  of  1558,  and  was  succeeded  by 
a  very  difierent  personage,  her  sister  Elizabeth,  the 
daughter  of  Anne  Boleyn. 

The  able  and  politic  princess  who  now  ascended 
the  English  throne  had  during  the  preceding  reigri 
been  kept  in  confinement  at  Hatfield,  and  she  had 
refrained  from  interfering  in  public  affairs ;  but  her 
first  act  was  to  restore  the  Protestant  religion,  in 
which  she  had  been  bred ;  and  as  the  bulk  of  the  na- 
tion still  halted  between  two  opinions,  the  example 
of  the  sovereign  was  quietly  followed.  She  chose  for 
her  chief  minister  William  Cecil,  lord  Burghley,  a 
cool,  cautious,  shrewd,  and  industrious  man,  who, 
having  during  former  troubles  saved  his  head  by 
yielding  willow-like  to  each  storm,  enjoyed  Eliza- 
beth's favor  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

Scarcely  had  the  crown  been  placed  on  Elizabeth's 
head,  when  Maiy,  queen  of  Scots,  was  persuaded  by 
her  relatives  of  the  house  of  Guise  to  claim  the  En- 
glish throne,  as  the  legitimate  heiress  of  the  seventh 


218  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAKD. 

Hquj.  a  poretesct  for  this  was  fimnd  in  the  citcmn- 
stance  of  Anne  Boleyn's  marriage  not  having  been 
sanctioned  by  the  Pope.  The  afi^tion  exhibited  by 
the  "Ruglish  people  d  all  elates  £)r  their  great  dneen 
fax  a  time  prevented  her  en^nies  taking  anr  public 
steps  in  the  matter i  bnt  on  the  acceaaon  of  Marys 
hnsband  to  the  thiraie  of  France,  -with  the  title  of 
Frands  II.,  the  royal  pair  asfumed  the  arms  and  style 
of  King  and  Q^eaa  of  England  aad  Ireland ;  and  Eliz- 
abeth retaliated  by  giving  aid  to  the  Scottish  Protest- 
ants. 

"When  Francis  was  cnt  oS,  in  1561,  his  beauttfol 
widow  having:  foond  hex  sabeeqnent  residence  in 
Fiance  the  reverse  of  pleasant,  returned  to  her  native 
land,  where  the  Selbxmaticai,  under  the  auspices  of 
Enos,  was  in  fidl  and  violent  progress.  Shortly  after- 
vrard  a  coniesptHidenre,  espresave  of  motnal  esteem 
and  a^eticHi,  caaDomenced  between  the  royal  ladies, 
and  a  peisanal  interview  was  agreed  to,  but  prevented 
by  the  breaking  out  of  the  religions  wars  in  France, 
when  Elizabeth  openly  esponsed  the  canse  of  the  Ha- 
gnenots.  Notwithstanding  their  continnal  jealoosy, 
and  yiwiftli  female  ^nidation,  harmony  was  maintain- 
ed between  the  Q^een  and  her  £ur  con^  till  the 
latter  lotted  abroad  fx  a  hnsband.  The  Earl  of 
Leicester,  a  man  of  courtly  graces,  and  high  in  Eliza- 
beth's £ivor,  vFas  proposed  for  that  distinction;  but 
circumstances  were  adveise,  and  Mary,  in  great  haste, 
made  an  unlucky  choice. 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS.        219 

"When  the  fourth  James  fell  on  Flodden  Field,  he 
left  a  -vridow  in  the  person  of  Margaret,  daughter  of 
the  serenth  H€airT,  and  she  giving  her  hand  to  the 
Earl  of  Angns,  became  mother  of  a  daughter,  who 
■was  espoused  bv  the  Earl  of  Lennox,  an  expatriated 
Scottish  nobleman.  Lord  Damley,  the  son  of  Lennox, 
was  thus  nearest  male  heir  to  the  victor  of  Bosworth, 
and  bv  manv  thcus'ht  to  have  a  strong  claim  to  the 
English  crown.  Mary,  forming  the  resolution  of  mai- 
rving  the  young  lord,  Lennox,  after  an  exile  of  twenty 
veaE,  was  invited  home,  and  Damley,  "with  some  dif- 
ncnhy,  obtained  leave  to  aocom^pany  him.  The  youth 
w^s  twentv,  verv  tall,  and  wcaiderfully  handsome : 
Marv's  amorcus  heart  was  immediately  captivated : 
their  nuptials  vrere  forthwith  celebrated ;  and  &can 
this  point  Marys  career  tended  toward  its  wofnl  ca- 
tastrophe. B.i2zio,  an  Italian  mvorite,  was  sdzed.  in 
her  presence,  and  stabbed  at  the  door  of  her  cham- 
ber ;  Damley,  who  had  been  the  principal  actor  in 
that  stranffe  scene,  was  a  few  months  after  the  birth 
of  her  son  mysterioudy  murdered  :  and  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell,  "  a  roan  sold  to  all  wickedness,"  and  sus- 
pected of  havins  been  guilty  of  that  fcul  crime,  be- 
came her  third  husband. 

Then  there  arose  a  loud  clamor  ;  and  the  Scottish 
barons,  being,  or  pretending  to  be,  incensed  at  their 
sovereign  for  wedding  a  maTi  so  mfanxras,  combined 
to  disolve  the  maniaffe.  Bothwell  escaped  beyood 
seas,  and  draesed  out  his  existence  in  r^nmark.    Marv 


220  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

surrendered,  and,  while  a  prisoner  in  Lochleven  Castle, 
was  compelled  to  resign  the  crown  to  her  son,  who 
began  to  reign  as  James  VI.  Her  illegitimate  brother, 
the  Earl  of  Moray,  -was  declared  Regent  during  his 
nephew's  minority,  and  in  that  capacity  displayed 
consummate  ability  and  vigor.  But  Mary's  charms 
having  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  heart  of  her 
keeper's  brother,  she  contrived  to  escape,  and  was  soon 
at  the  head  of  a  force  so  formidable,  that  the  friends 
of  the  Regent  advised  him  not  to  hazard  a  battle. 
Moray  wisely  deciding  otherwise,  so  effectually  routed 
the  insurgent  army  at  Langside,  that  the  hapless 
princess,  flying  precipitately  into  England,  suppliantly 
craved  protection  from  the  woman  whose  legitimacy 
she  had  denied,  whose  arms  she  had  assimied,  and 
whose  crown  she  had  claimed. 

EUzabeth  had  now  a  golden  opportunity  of  showing 
her  magnanimity,  by  acting  toward  her  erring  kins- 
woman with  the  kindness  and  consideration  due  to  the 
fallen  ;  but,  unhappily,  her  disposition  was  imperious 
and  unforgiving.  Mary  had  taken  shelter  in  the  castle 
of  Carlisle,  and  the  Glueen  professed  her  readiness  to 
afford  proper  aid,  provided  the  fugitive  could  clear 
herself  of  the  imputed  crimes,  one  of  which  was  no  less 
atrocious  than  participation  in  the  murder  of  Darnley, 
A  conference  being  appointed,  the  Regent  Moray  came 
from  Scotland  ;  but  the  proceedings  were  suddenly  cut 
short,  and  the  dethroned  Glueen  meantime  succeeded 
in  engaging  the  affections  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who. 


REBELLION   OF  THE   NORTHERN   EARLS.    221 

though  a  Protestant,  was  considered  by  her  adherents 
as  a  most  ehgible  match.  The  parties  most  nearly 
concerned  were,  it  appears,  favorable  to  the  scheme, 
which  was  pursued  with  much  ardor  by  the  friends 
of  both  ;  but  no  sooner  was  it  revealed  to  Elizabeth 
than  slie  manifested  the  utmost  displeasure,  and  re- 
proached the  enamored  Duke  so  fiercely,  that  he  re- 
tired from  her  coiu't  without  leave.  While  on  the 
road  to  Windsor  he  was  taken  into  custody,  and  after 
a  severe  examination,  marched  off  to  the  Tower. 

At  this  time,  the  great  northern  earls,  Northumber- 
land and  Westmoreland,  raised  the  standard  of  rebell- 
ion. Both  were  Catholics,  had  large  estates,  and  spent 
their  incomes  in  supporting  a  system  of  hospitality 
which  rendered  them  popular,  and  both  had  so  little 
ready  money  that  they  were  described  as  "  bankrupt 
earls."  Northumberland,  who  had  recently  felt  in- 
jured by  a  rich  mine  of  copper  on  his  territory  being 
adjudged  as  the  property  of  the  crown,  in  the  middle 
of  October  entered  Dvxrham,  displaying  a  banner  on 
which  was  a  cross  with  the  five  wounds  of  Christ. 
The  bells  were  rung  backward  ;  the  country  was 
roused ;  the  Bible  and  Common  Prayer-book  were  pub- 
licly torn  in  pieces  ;  and  mass  was  openly  performed. 
They  proclaimed  to  some  that,  in  common  with  the 
English  nobles,  they  wei'e  resolved  to  restore  the  an- 
cient religion,  and  liberate  the  Q/Ueen  of  Scots  ;  and 
they  hinted  to  others  that  they  had  taken  up  arms 
to  prevent    upstarts    from  trampling    down    the    old 


222  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

patricians  of  the  land.  At  first,  they  mustered  seven- 
teen thousand  followers,  two  thousand  of  M'hom  were 
tall  horsemen,  well  aniied  and  accoutred.  But  the 
Catholics  in  other  counties  not  rising,  the  ardor  of  the 
insurgents  soon  cooled,  and  their  numbers  so  dimin- 
ished, that  when  Sussex,  tlie  (iueen's  lieutenant,  took 
the  field,  they  confusedly  dispersed.  Many  of  them 
were  put  to  death  by  martial  law ;  Westmoreland, 
flying  into  Scotland,  took  refuge  among  the  Scots  and 
Kers,  and  afterward  escaped  to  Flanders.  Northum- 
berland, after  being  stripped  and  maltreated  by  some 
borderers,  reached  the  abode  of  Hector  of  Harelaw,  one 
of  the  Armstrong  clan,  where  he  believed  himself  safe, 
his  host  being  under  obligations  to  him,  and  engaged 
upon  his  honor  to  be  true.  Nevertheless,  Hector 
treacherously  delivered  the  unfortunate  Earl  into  the 
hands  of  Moray,  by  whom  he  was  sent  to  the  castle 
of  Lochleven,  and  ultimately  executed  at  York.  But 
we  are  assured  that  from  that  day  Hector,  who  had 
formerly  been  rich  and  prosperous,  fell  into  poverty  ; 
and  he  became  so  degraded  in  the  eyes  of  his  neigh- 
bors, that  "  to  take  Hector's  cloak"  passed  into  a  pro- 
verb, as  indicative  of  one  who  betrayed  his  confiding 
guest. 

Next  year  Mtray  perished  by  the  hand  of  an  assas- 
sui  named  Hamilton,  and  EUzabeth  was  deeply 
grieved  at  the  untimely  end  of  a  friend  so  stout  and 
true.  He  had  shortly  before  been  deserted  by  two  of 
his  principal  adherents — Maitland  of  Ledington,  a 


EXECUTION   OF  THE   SCOTTISH   QUEEN.    223 

crafty  politician,  and  Kirkaldy  of  Grange,  the  first 
soldier  in  Scotland ;  and  the  kingdom  relapsed  into 
anarcliical  confusion. 

Meanwhile  Norfolk  had  regained  his  liberty,  and 
solemnly  promised  to  abandon  his  mati'imonial  pro- 
ject. But  Mary,  entering  into  a  secret  correspondence 
with  the  Duke  of  Alva,  who  was  zealously  attached 
to  her  cause,  as  were  also  the  Pope  and  the  Kings  of 
France  and  Spain,  the  infatuated  nobleman  was 
drawn  into  fresh  plots,  brought  to  trial,  condemned, 
and  beheaded.  Soon  after,  the  horrible  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  by  proving  the  extremities  to  which 
Papists  were  prepared  to  go,  shocked  and  confounded 
all  England,  and  exercised  a  baneful  influence  on  the 
affairs  of  the  captive  dueen.  Elizabeth  was,  more 
distinctly  than  ever,  recognized  throughout  Europe  as 
the  bulwark  of  the  Protestant  faith ;  her  life  became 
doubly  important  in  the  eyes  of  her  subjects  ;  and,  in 
accordance  with  the  precepts  of  the  Holy  League, 
dark  plots  were  formed  for  her  destruction.  To  de- 
feat these,  multitudes  of  her  people  of  all  ranks  form- 
ed associations  for  the  defense  of  her  person,  and  Par- 
liament passed  new  and  severe  laws  against  conspir- 
ators. Mary,  having  entered  into  the  ambitious  views 
of  the  house  of  Guise,  whose  members  were  furious  at 
the  prospect  of  Henry  of  Navarre  mounting  the  French 
throne,  was  subjected  to  a  closer  and  more  rigorous 
imprisonment.  At  length  she  rushed  headlong  on 
her  fate.     In  1586,  Anthony  Babington,  a  deluded 


224  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

gentleman  of  Derbyshire,  being  discovered  in  a  con- 
spiracy against  the  life  of  Elizabeth,  confessed  that 
he  had  imparted  his  designs  to  Mary,  and  that  she 
had  expressed  her  approval.  Some  letters,  which 
had  been  written  by  the  unfortunate  woman,  but  in- 
tercepted by  the  vigilance  of  Walsingham,  were,  by 
her  secretaries,  sworn  to  be  genuine.  Commissioners 
were  thereupon  sent  to  the  place  of  her  confuiement. 
She  appeared  before  them  with  reluctance,  asserting 
her  royal  prerogative,  but  was  condemned  as  privy 
to  the  plot  against  the  Clueen's  life.  The  Kings  of 
Scotland  and  France  interfered  to  prevent  the  sen- 
tence being  executed,  but  their  remonstrances  were 
unavailing. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1587,  a  scaffold  three  feet 
in  height,  and  covered  with  black  cloth,  was  erected 
in  the  hall  of  Fotheringay  Castle  ;  and  there  the  vn- 
happy  Q,ueen,  kneeling  on  a  cushion,  laid  on  the  block 
her  head,  which,  after  three  strokes,  was  severed  from 
the  body. 

She  met  her  melancholy  fate  with  a  dignity  and 
resignation  worthy  of  her  rank,  and  was  interred  with 
much  pomp  in  the  cathedral  of  Peterborough. 

When  a  rumor  of  tliis  event  reached  Holyrood, 
James,  who  was  mounting  his  steed,  refused  to  credit 
the  possibility  of  its  being  true,  and  rode  off  to  hunt 
the  deer  at  Calder  ;  but  two  days  later  he  was  in- 
formed that  Sir  Robert  Carey  was  on  his  way  from 
the  court  of  England  to  explain  and  apologize  f<jr  the 


QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 


THE   INVINCIBLE   ARMADA.  227 

transaction.  The  King  sent  two  of  his  council  to 
meet  the  embassador  on  the  Border,  and  a  letter  from 
Elizabeth  was  delivered,  wherein  she  expressed  her 
regret  at  what  had  occurred,  and  stated  that  it  was 
contrary  to  her  wishes.  James  was  fain  to  discourage 
all  aspirations  on  the  part  of  his  subjects  after  that  re- 
venge, for  which  several  of  them  panted  ;  and  he  after- 
ward gave  evidence  of  his  desire  for  friendship  with 
his  powerful  neighbor  by  ofiers  of  active  aid  against 
the  power  of  Spain,  which  was  particularly  alarming. 
In  1585  Elizabeth  had  entered  into  a  league  with 
the  Protestant  princes  and  states  on  the  Continent, 
and  sent  troops  under  the  command  of  Leicester,  to 
assist  the  United  Provinces,  then  struggling  against 
Philip ;  and  Sir  Francis  Drake  had  taken  some 
Spanish  settlements  in  America.  The  Most  Catholic 
King,  in  revenge,  during  1588,  fitted  out  what  he  called 
the  Invincible  Armada,  consisting  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  ships  of  war,  for  the  invasion  and  conquest  of 
England  ;  and  Elizabeth  exhibited  high  spirit  and 
splendid  courage.  She  assembled  an  army  at  Tilbury, 
mounted  her  horse,  rode  through  the  ranks,  and  by 
her  patriotic  speeches  inspired  her  militia  with  ex- 
traordinary enthusiasm.  However,  Lord  Howard  of 
Effingham,  the  Admiral  of  England,  attacked  the 
Spanish  squadron,  and  destroyed  a  great  number  of. 
the  ships.  A  storm  completed  the  discomfiture,  and 
hardly  more  than  one-third  of  the  shattered  arma- 
ment returned  to  Spain, 


228  HISTORY    FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

In  the  following  year  Henry  of  Navarre  ascended 
the  throne  of  France,  and  it  became  Elizabeth's  prin- 
cipal object  to  support  him  in  the  difficulties  which, 
as  a  Huguenot,  he  had  to  encounter.  Her  timely  and 
judicious  aid  enabled  him  to  gain  a  temporary  ascen- 
dency, and  in  the  battle  of  Ivry  he  destroyed  the 
power  of  the  League.  The  illustrious  Ciueen  was 
somewhat  annoyed  when  her  ally  abjured  the  doctrines 
of  Protestantism,  but  they  nevertheless  maintained  a 
close  union  against  their  common  enemy  Philip,  whose 
heart's  desire  was  to  humble  the  English  Q,ueen  and 
make  a  conquest  of  her  realm.  With  this  delusive 
hope,  the  gloomy  tyrant,  in  159G,  prepared  a  second 
armada.  Elizabeth  armed  her  subjects  to  guard  the 
coasts,  and  fitted  out  two  fleets  ;  one  to  defend  the 
British  seas,  and  the  other,  under  Drake  and  Hawkins, 
to  attack  the  Spanish  settlements  in  America.  In  this 
expedition,  Drake,  long  the  scourge  of  Spain,  died. 
About  the  same  time,  the  young  Earl  of  Essex  and 
Lord  Howard,  accompanied  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
and  other  warriors,  undertook  an  expedition  against 
Cadiz,  which  was  taken  and  sacked  ;  while  the  winds 
scattered  a  Spanish  fleet  bound  for  Ireland  to  support 
Tyrone's  rebellion.  To  suppress  this,  the  wealthy, 
accomplished,  and  aspiring  Essex,  who  had  succeeded 
Leicester  in  the  dueen's  good  graces,  was  sent  across 
the  Channel  as  lieutenant.  The  brave  and  dashing 
nobleman,  whose  exploits  on  the  Continent  had  been 
of  a  most  brilliant  character,  did  not  possess  the  quali- 


EXECUTION    OF   ESSEX.  223 

ties  necessary  for  bringing  a  war  with  the  native  Cehf> 
to  a  satisfactory  conchision,  and  he  completely  faiM 
in  his  object.  Being  recalled,  he  was  summoned  be- 
fore  the  Council  to  answer  for  his  conduct ;  and  at 
length,  rendered  reckless  by  despair,  he  attempted  the 
rash  and  dangerous  enterprise  of  seizing  Elizabeth's 
person.  He  was  tried  and  convicted,  along  with  his 
friend,  Lord  Southampton,  whose  memory  is  preserved 
and  respected  as  the  generous  patron  of  William 
Shakspeare,  the  prince  of  poets  and  dramatists. 
Southampton's  life  was  spared,  and  he  subsequently 
regained  his  liberty  :  but  Essex  was  executed,  not- 
withstanding  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
the  multitude.  Lord  Mountjoy,  his  successor  in  Ire- 
land, conducted  the  war  with  so  much  ability  for 
three  years,  that  Tyrone  was  forced  to  surrender,  and, 
to  terminate  the  strife,  Elizabeth  was  prevailed  on 
reluctantly  to  sign  his  pardon. 

The  great  princess  did  not  long  survive  these  occur- 
rences. As  late  as  the  autumn  of  1602  she  hunted, 
without  regard  to  wind,  weather,  or  evening  dews, 
and  even  danced  the  galliard  with  the  Duke  of  Nevers, 
with  a  grace  and  attitude  which  excited  boundless 
admiration.  But  M'hen  dark  November  arrived  she 
exhibited  visible  signs  of  decay,  and  being  removed 
on  a  stormy  day  to  Richmond,  she  there  expired  ou 
the  23d  March,  1603,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  her 
life,  having  previously  nominated  the  King  of  Scots 
as  successor  to  the  crown  which  she  had  worn  with 


230  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

so  much  glory  to  herself  and  advantage  to  her  sub- 
jects. 

The  body  that  had  contained  her  great  and  impetu- 
ous soul,  was  interred  with  much  magnificence  in  the 
beautiful  chapel  which  her  politic  grandfather  had 
founded  at  Westminster.  Centuries  have  passed  since 
the  mortal  remains  of  the  popular  Q,ueen  mingled 
with  the  kindred  dust  of  those  absolute  Tudors,  of 
whom  she  was  by  far  the  most  illustrious ;  but  still 
her  lofty  spirit  and  patriotic  pride  seem  to  guard  the 
coast  and  rest  upon  the  seas.  Her  memory  is  vener- 
ated by  Englishmen  of  each  succeeding  generation  ; 
and,  while  thinking  of  her  dauntless  bearing,  they 
learn,  in  seasons  of  darkness  and  peril,  to  hurl  defiance 
at  the  enemies  of  their  country  and  their  religion. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


HISTORY    OF    ENGLAND. 


Hardly  had  Q,ueen  Elizabeth  breathed  her  last, 
•when  Sir  Robert  Carey,  warden  of  the  Middle 
Marches,  leapt  into  his  saddle  at  Richmond,  and  rode 
northward  to  convey  the  news  to  her  successor ;  and 
soon  after  Carey's  arrival  at  Holyrood,  messengers 
from  the  Council  appeared  to  request  James  to  repair 
to  England  without  delay.  Doubtless,  the  King  of 
Scots  had  no  objection  to  escape  from  the  scenes  as- 
sociated in  his  memory  with  the  Raid  of  Ruthven  and 
the  Gowrie  Conspiracy,  to  a  fairer  and  wealthier  realm. 
On  an  April  morning  he  set  forth  with  a  retinue  of 
five  hundred  horsemen,  and  entering  England  through 
the  gates  of  Berwick,  proceeded  to  the  metropolis  by 
such  easy  stages,  that  a  whole  month  was  consumed 
on  the  journey.  His  personal  appearance  was  not 
such  as  to  attract  popular  admiration.  He  had  goggle 
eyes,  a  tongue  too  large  for  his  mouth,  and  legs  too 
tliin  for  his  body.  His  dress  was  slovenly,  his  bear- 
ing ungainly,  and  his  speech  "  in  the  full  dialect  of 
his  nation."  Yet  he  could  boast  of  being  received  by 
the  English  with  joy,  and  of  coming  as  in  a  hunting 
party.     On  the  25th  of  July,  1603,  he  was  crowned 


232  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

at  Westminster,  and  took  occasion  to  confer  knight- 
liood  on  tluree  hundred  gentlemen,  among  whom  was 
the  immortal  Francis  Bacon,  "  the  wisest,  brightest, 
meanest,  of  mankind." 

During  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  James,  plots 
were  formed  for  placing  Lady  Arabella  Stuart  on 
the  throne.  Though  innocent,  the  unfortunate  lady 
was  cast  into  prison,  where  she  remained  till  her 
death.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  warrior,  courtier,  orator, 
and  man  of  letters,  being  implicated,  was  condemned 
and  sent  to  the  Tower.  After  an  interval  of  fifteen 
years,  on  infringing  the  peace  with  Spain  by  attack- 
ing one  of  her  settlements,  he  was  beheaded  on  this 
sentence. 

This  affair  was  followed  by  the  far  darker  and 
more  terrible  conspiracy  known  as  the  Gunpowder 
Plot.  James  had  commenced  his  reign  by  restoring 
his  mother's  partisans  to  their  titles  and  estates  ;  but 
he  afterward  enforced  the  penal  statutes  with  a  rigor 
which  caused  the  Catholics  to  mutter  treason ;  and 
they  found  a  daring  leader  in  Robert  Catesby,  a  gen- 
tleman of  ancient  blood  and  good  estate.  Catesby 
conceived  the  project  of  destroying  at  one  swoop  the 
King,  Lords,  and  Commons  of  the  realm,  and  commu- 
nicated liis  views  to  Thomas  Winter,  who  had  fought 
in  the  Low  Countries.  Winter,  going  to  the  Conti- 
nent, drew  into  the  plot  a  fanatical  soldier  of  fortune, 
named  Guy  Fawkes.  These  three  being  joined  by 
Thomas  Percy,  of  the  house  of  Northumberland,  as- 


THE   GUNPOWDER   PLOT.  233 

gembled  at  a  lonely  dwelling  near  St.  Clement's  Inn, 
and  took  a  solemn  oath  of  secrecy  and  perseverance. 
Percy  then  hired  a  residence  adjoining  the  Houses 
of  Parliament,  and  they  commenced  cutting  a  hole 
through  the  wall  of  partition.  The  wall  was  discov- 
ered to  be  enormously  thick,  and  the  bearded  conspir- 
ators finding  the  digging  no  easy  matter,  began  to 
feel  the  influence  of  superstitious  fears.  One  day  they 
imagined  that  a  hell  was  tolling  deep  in  the  earth 
beneath  them,  and  sprinkled  holy  water  to  stop  the 
sound ;  but,  ere  long,  a  noise  of  less  doubtful  reality 
over  their  lieads  made  them  start  and  pause,  till 
Fawkes  brought  intelligence  that  it  was  caused  by 
the  removal  of  a  stock  of  coals,  which  had  been 
kept  by  a  dealer  in  a  vault  under  the  House  of 
Lords.  The  conspirators,  deeming  the  vault  precisely 
the  place  for  their  purpose,  hired  it  from  the  coal- 
dealer,  and  stowed  therein  thirty-six  barrels  of  gun- 
powder, with  large  stones,  bars  of  iron,  and  billets 
of  wood.  By  May,  1G05,  every  thing  was  in  readi- 
ness for  the  work  of  destruction.  Parliament  was 
to  meet  on  the  5th  of  November,  and  Guy  Fawkes 
undertook  to  fire  the  mine  with  a  slow  match.  It 
happened,  however,  that  the  number  of  conspirators 
had  much  increased ;  several  of  these  had  relatives 
among  the  desthied  victims ;  and  Sir  Francis  Tresh- 
am  expressed  his  anxiety  to  save  Lord  Monteagle. 

Ten  days  before  the  appointed  time,  Monteagle  was 
supping  in  his  mansion  at  Hoxton,  when  a  page  placed 


234  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— ENGLAND. 

iu  his  hand  a  letter,  which  a  tall  man,  whose  feat- 
ures were  concealed  by  the  darkness,  had  just  de- 
livered at  the  gate.  The  epistle,  which  was  without 
date  or  signature,  warned  his  Lordship  that  "  God 
and  man  had  concurred  to  punish  the  wickedness  of 
the  time,"  and  that  the  "  Parhament  should  receive 
a  terrible  blow,  and  yet  not  see  who  hurt  them." 
Monteagle  carried  the  letter  to  Secretary  Cecil ;  a 
search  being  made,  Fawkes  was  found  standing  in  a 
corner  with  a  dark  lantern ;  and  being  afterward  ar- 
rested, he  was  put  to  the  torture.  Catesby  and  Percy 
were  killed  while  resisting  the  sheriff  of  "Worcester ; 
Tresham  expired  in  prison  ;  and  G  uy  Fawkes,  with 
Winter,  and  six  others,  suffered  the  death  of  traitors 
at  St.  Paul's  Church-yard. 

Polemics  divided  James's  time  with  the  bottle  and 
field-sports,  so  that  he  cared  Uttle  for  the  tournaments 
that  had  been  revived  by  Henry  VIIL,  and  annually 
solemnized  in  the  golden  reign  of  Elizabeth.  Yet  he 
still  continued  to  hold  them,  though  without  their  for- 
mer splendor ;  and  at  one  of  these  a  Scottish  gentle- 
man, named  Carr,  having  broken  his  leg  while  tilting, 
the  King  indulged  his  hereditary  tendency  by  making 
a  favorite  of  the  youth,  who,  after  being  unworthily 
elevated  to  the  earldom  of  Somerset,  was  convicted 
of  participation  in  a  diabolical  murder.  James  next 
attached  himself  to  George  Villiers,  who  figured  as 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  and  exercised  an  influence  to 
which  he  was  in  no  respect  entitled. 


MARRIAGE  OF  THE  PRINCESS  ELIZABETH.  233 

Henry,  Prince  of  Wales,  on  whom  the  hopes  of  the 
nation  fondly  rested,  died  in  1612,  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een, and  his  brother  Charles  becoming  heir,  Bucking- 
ham planned  a  journey  to  Spain  to  negotiate  a  match 
with  the  Infanta ;  but  his  folly  and  presumption  frus- 
trated the  treaty  on  the  eve  of  its  conclusion.  The 
Princess  Elizabeth  had  previously  been  married  to 
the  Elector  Palatine,  and  the  latter  being  deprived 
of  his  electorate  for  accepting  the  crown  of  Bohemia, 
till  then  an  appanage  of  the  empire.  Parliament,  con- 
sidering that  he  was  at  once  their  sovereign's  son-in- 
law  and  a  Protestant  prince,  urged  James  to  strike  a 
blow  in  his  behalf  But  the  royal  pupil  of  the  learn- 
ed Buchanan  had  not  in  his  composition  one  particle 
of  that  chivalry  which  had  led  his  ancestor  to  die, 
sword  in  hand,  on  the  purple  heath  of  Flodden.  He 
did,  indeed,  in  the  last  year  of  his  reign,  send  an  ar- 
mament ;  but  it  was  far  too  feeble  to  retrieve  the 
Elector's  shattered  fortunes. 

Though  James  was  a  man  of  learning  and  talent, 
he  possessed  none  of  that  influence  which  arises  from 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  wants,  wishes,  and  re- 
quirements of  the  English  people.  He  cherished  the- 
ories respecting  the  royal  prerogative  utterly  unsuited 
to  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  which  the  ablest 
of  the  Tudors  could  not  have  put  in  practice.  Never- 
theless, his  inglorious  reign  passed  over  in  compara- 
tive quiet — it  was  the  calm  which  precedes  the  storm. 
Having  sown  the  wind,  he  departed  this  life  on  the 


236  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND, 

27th  March,  1625,  leaving  his  descendants  to  reap 
the  M'hirlwind. 

Charles  I.  was  crowned  at  the  age  of  twenty-five, 
having  previously  espoused  Henrietta,  daughter  of 
Henry  the  Great  of  France.  The  (iueen,  as  a  Cath- 
olic, was  extremely  unpopular,  and  is  thought  to  have 
exercised  a  disastrous  influence  in  regard  to  the  events 
which  led  to  the  King's  tragic  end.  Charles  was  not 
disfigured  hy  any  of  the  peculiarities,  mental  or  bod- 
ily, which  had  rendered  his  father  an  object  of  de- 
rision. Indeed,  he  was  a  prince  of  high  jjir^n  il  ac- 
complishments and  exquisite  artistic  taste,  blameless 
in  private  life,  and  eminently  regal  in  demeanor. 
"VYith  few  hereditary  claims  to  popular  respect,  he 
inspired  a  large  portion  of  the  Enghsh  nation  with 
an  attachment  to  his  name,  which  induced  them  to 
face  death,  exile,  poverty,  and  want  in  his  cause,  and 
run  all  risks  lor  his  posterity  to  the  fourth  generation. 

James,  however,  had  irritated  the  Puritans  by  his 
foolish  talk,  and  Charles  was  fated  to  exasperate  them 
into  open  resistance  by  attempting  to  administer  af- 
fairs on  a  system  antagonistic  to  the  spirit  of  the  age. 
He  differed  with  his  first  Parliament  on  their  refusal 
to  vote  adequate  supplies  for  the  war  undertaken  on 
behalf  of  the  Elector.  This  was  something  so  novel, 
that  the  high  temper  of  the  Parliament  became  a 
general  subject  of  conversation,  and  it  was  dissolved. 
Letters  under  the  privy  seal  were  then  issued  for  bor- 
rowing money  from  the  subject ;  but  the  sum  lliu.s 


THE   KING   AND   THE   PARLIAMENT.         23? 

raised  being  insufficient,  a  new  Parliament  was  sum- 
moned, and  not  only  proved  refractory,  but  evinced 
its  spirit  of  hostility  to  the  crown  by  impeaching  Buck- 
ingham, who  had  rashly  undertaken  the  duties  of 
minister.  The  King  deemed  this  step  so  unwarrant- 
able an  interference  that  he  imprisoned  its  chief  au- 
thors ;  and  the  contest,  thus  coimnenced,  was  foment- 
ed by  various  causes. 

An  expedition  against  Rochelle,  undertaken  by 
Buckingham,  ended  in  disaster.  Parliament  com- 
pelled the  King  to  consent  to  the  Petition  of  E.ights, 
which  declared  the  illegality  of  raising  taxes  without 
the  consent  of  the  Legislature,  of  imprisoning  save  by 
legal  process,  and  of  billeting  soldiers  on  the  people. 
When  Parliament  assembled,  in  1629,  the  weak  and 
undeserving  Buckmgham  had  fallen  by  the  dagger  of 
Felton,  an  officer  of  some  disbanded  regiment ;  and 
Charles,  perceiving  the  necessity  of  having  ministers 
of  a  difierent  stamp,  allured  from  the  ranks  of  the 
opposition  Thomas  Wentworth,  subsequently  created 
Earl  of  Strafibrd,  a  statesman  distinguished  by  his 
energetic  parts,  brilliant  eloquence,  dauntless  enter- 
prise, and  defiant  courage. 

Meantime  the  King  still  persevered  in  levying  ton- 
nage, poundage,  and  ship-money ;  while  the  Star 
Chamber,  without  trial,  imposed  large  fines  for  vari- 
ous offenses.  But  the  spirit  of  liberty  had  grown  too 
strong  to  be  braved  with  impunity,  and  the  Commons, 
bent  on  the  redress  of  grievances,  were  in  no  accom- 


238  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

modating  frame  of  mind.  They  proceeded  to  consider 
the  measures  taken  by  the  Government,  and  a  resolu- 
tion condemnatory  of  tonnage  and  poundage  was  pro- 
posed. Sir  John  Ehot,  as  the  mover,  was  sent  to 
prison,  and  the  Parhament  dissolved.  I 

To  fill  the  exchequer,  Noy,  the  attorney-general, 
devised  a  scheme  of  raising  supplies  by  levying  ship- 
money,  and  extending  the  impost  to  the  inland  coun- 
ties ;  and  John  Hampden,  an  esquire  of  Bucks,  re- 
fusing to  pay  the  amount  at  which  he  was  assessed, 
resolved  to  have  a  judicial  decision  as  to  the  legality 
of  the  tax.  Accordingly,  in  1636,  the  case  was  tried 
in  the  Exchequer  Chamber,  before  all  the  judges,  and 
decided  against  Hampden  ;  but  so  clear  did  the  law 
appear  in  his  favor,  that  the  public  discontent  grew 
deeper  and  more  earnest.  Hampden,  in  disgust,  re- 
solved upon  emigrating  to  Connecticut,  in  company 
with  his  kinsman,  Oliver  Cromwell.  Their  passages 
were  quickly  taken  in  a  vessel  lying  in  the  Thames, 
and  they  had  even  gone  on  board,  when  an  order  of 
council  prohibited  the  ship  from  sailing,  and  they  were 
under  tne  necessity  of  remaining  in  England. 

Events  now  hastened  to  a  crisis.  Since  the  first 
James  had  left  his  native  soil,  Scotland,  though  nom- 
inally ranking  as  an  independent  state,  had  virtually 
been  a  subject  province,  and  the  ancient  barons,  whose 
progenitors  had  startled  Robert  Bruce  with  the  ex- 
clamation that  their  swords  were  their  charters,  felt 
deep  resentment  at  the  neglect  which  they  sufiered. 


THE   SCOTTISH   COVENANT.  239 

and  at  the  insignificance  into  which  they  were  sink- 
ing. The  impohtic  attempt  which  the  King,  by  the 
advice  of  Archbishop  Laud,  made  to  introduce  the 
Anghcan  hturgy  into  their  churches,  enraged  the  Pres- 
byterians, and  the  occasion  was  deemed  favorable  lor 
the  vindication  of  Scottisli  rights,  under  the  color  of 
religion.  A  bond,  termed  tlie  National  Covenant,  was 
subscribed  by  persons  of  all  ranks ;  and  an  army  being 
mustered,  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Alexan- 
der Leslie,  an  experienced  soldier  of  fortune.  Charles, 
in  the  spring  of  1639,  levied  a  force,  and  marched 
northward  to  suppress  this  rising  ;  but  terms  of  pacifi- 
cation being  agreed  to,  he  returned.  However,  the 
Scottish  Covenanters  refusing  to  disarm,  and  the  King 
not  having  the  means  of  reassembling  his  force,  in 
1G40,  after  an  interval  of  eleven  years,  convoked  a 
Parliament,  which,  on  refusing  the  supplies  demand- 
ed, was  imprudently  dissolved  by  the  King  in  person, 
with  an  indignant  speech. 

It  was  now  openly  said  that  matters  must  be  worse 
before  they  could  be  better.  Leslie  again  crossed  the 
border,  and  the  King  advanced  to  meet  him ;  but  at 
Newburn  the  royal  army  fled  before  the  Scottish  in- 
vaders, who  occupied  the  northern  counties.  Charles 
now  retreated  to  York,  where  the  G-reat  Council  of 
Peers  was  held  ;  and,  no  other  course  remaining  open, 
it  was  resolved  to  summon  a  Parliament,  which  met 
in  November,  1G40,  and  went  to  work  in  a  fierce  and 
uncompromising  mood.     A  bill   for  the  abolition  of 


210  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

tonnage  and  poundage  was  forthwith  passed  ;  monopo- 
lies of  every  kind  were  terminated  ;  the  Star  Cham- 
ber, the  High  Commission  Court,  the  Forest  Court, 
and  the  Council  of  York,  were  abolished.  Laud  and 
Straflbrd  were  impeached  and  imprisoned.  Laud  was 
'allowed  to  linger  in  a  dungeon  previous  to  execution, 
but  Strafford  was  too  formidable  a  foe  to  escape  swift 
destruction  ;  and  as  a  trial  by  his  peers  would  have 
resulted  in  acquittal,  his  death  was  secured  by  a  bill 
of  attainder,  to  which  the  unhappy  King,  in  an  evil 
hour,  gave  a  reluctant  assent.  The  victim  met  his 
fate  wltlt  a  proud  courage  and  calm  dignity,  which 
have  elicited  involuntary  admiration  from  those  who 
most  strongly  reprobate  the  policy  he  pursued. 

Parliament  having  passed  a  law  declaring  that  it 
could  not  be  prorogued  or  dissolved  but  by  its  own 
decree,  adjourned  in  September,  16 il  ;  and  the  King 
paid  a  conciliatory  visit  to  Scotland,  and  created 
Leslie  Earl  of  Leven.  While  there — indeed,  it  is  said, 
while  playing  the  national  game  of  golf  on  the  Links 
of  Leith — a  letter  was  put  into  his  hands,  stating  that 
the  L'ish,  freed  from  the  iron  rule  of  Strafford,  former- 
ly Lord-lieutenant,  had  broken  into  a  sanguinary  re- 
bellion, and  attempted,  in  a  single  day,  to  massacre 
every  Protestant  in  their  island.  To  suppress  the  re- 
bellion, Charles  consigned  full  powers  to  Parliament, 
and  these  were  afterward  interpreted  into  a  transfer- 
ence of  the  military  authority  of  the  crown. 

The  Long  Parliament,  during  its  first  session,  acted 


THE   KING    AND  THE    FIVE    MEMBERS.      241 

with  unanimity  ;  but,  after  the  legislative  changes 
which  it  had  brought  about,  difierences  of  opinion 
arose  among  its  leading  members.  On  meeting  after 
the  recess,  it  became  evident  that  there  existed  a  large 
party  headed  by  Falkland  and  Hyde,  who  not  only 
considered  that  matters  had  gone  far  enough,  but 
would  hardly  have  inscribed  on  their  banners  the  do- 
vice  of  Hampden,  Nulla  vestigia  rctrorsum.  The 
followers  of  Hampden,  however,  were  more  nntract- 
able  than  ever  ;  and  that  address  to  the  throne,  known 
as  th*  Grand  Remonstrance,  was  moved  and  carried, 
after  a  long  and  stormy  debate.  Indeed,  public 
opinion  was  inclining  to  the  King's  side,  when  he 
sent  the  Attorney-general  to  impeach  of  high-treasou 
Hampden,  Pym,  and  three  other  senators,  at  the  bar 
of  the  House  of  Lords.  The  Commons,  however,  re- 
fused to  surrender  their  members,  and  the  King  re- 
solved upon  a  forcible  arrest. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  4th  of  January,  1G42,  the 
House  of  Commons  had  assembled,  when  intelligence 
was  brought  that  the  King,  with  an  armed  force  of 
several  hundreds,  was  advancing  toward  Westminster 
Hall.  The  five  members  had  hardly  escaped  when 
His  Majesty  knocked  at  the  door,  and  entering  with 
his  nephew,  the  Prince  Palatine,  looked  around,  and 
then  took  possession  of  the  chair.  The  Speaker  fell 
on  his  knees,  the  mace  was  removed,  and  the  mem- 
bers taking  off  their  hats  stood  up.  The  King  then 
interrogated  the  Speaker,  who  answered,  that  he  was 

a 


842  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLA^■D. 

the  organ  of  the  House,  and  had  neither  eyes  to  see 
nor  tongue  to  speak,  save  at  their  request.  After 
addressing  to  the  Commons  a  speech,  in  which  he 
expressed  his  respect  for  the  laws  of  the  realm  and 
the  privileges  of  Parliament,  the  King  retired,  amid 
cries  of  "  Privilege  !"  and  returned  to  AVhitehall. 

The  five  members  took  refuge  in  the  city  of  Lon- 
don, whose  inhabitants  were  devoted  to  their  cause 
and  furious  at  the  attempt  to  seize  their  persons. 
Charles,  besides  being  baffled  of  his  prey,  lost  much 
of  his  reviving  influence  by  this  fatal  error.  He  fled 
from  WhitehaU,  and,  there  remaining  no  other  appeal 
save  to  the  God  of  battles,  set  up  the  royal  standard 
at  Nottingham.  His  nephews,  Rupert  and  Maurice, 
younger  sons  of  the  unfortunate  Q,ueen  of  Bohemia, 
arriving  to  tender  their  services,  were  appointed  to 
commands ;  the  King's  friends,  or  Cavaliers,  were 
composed  chiefly  of  the  landed  gentry  and  the  church  ; 
and  the  Parliament  w^as  supported  by  the  city  of  Lon- 
don, the  large  towns,  and  a  portion  of  the  yeomanry. 
Prince  Rupert  commanded  the  royal  troops,  and  the 
Earl  of  Essex  was  at  the  head  of  the  Parhamentary 
forces.  Blood  was  first  shed  at  Edgehill,  in  October, 
1G42,  and  victory  fell  to  the  Royalists,  who  took 
Barnsbury,  and  entered  Oxford  in  triumph.  For  the 
first  year  the  Cavaliers  had  the  advantage,  and  the 
fall  of  Hampden  at  Chalgrove,  while  leading  a  charge 
against  Rupert's  fieiy  cavalry,  deprived  the  Parlia- 
ment of  their  ablest  leader ;  but  the  tide  of  fortune 


THE   CIVIL   WAR.  243 

soon  turned.  On  the  2d.  of  July,  1644,  Rupert,  liav- 
ino^  compelled  the  Parliamentary  generals  to  raise  the 
siege  of  York,  gave  them  battle  on  Marston  Moor,  and 
was  successful  in  driving  Essex  and  Manchester  from 
the  field ;  but  Cromwell  and  David  Leslie  redeemed 
the  disaster,  changed  Rupert's  success  into  a  rout, 
and  obtained  possession  of  York. 

At  this  period,  the  Marquis  of  Montrose,  reaching 
the  Highlands  in  disguise,  gathered  an  army,  and  in- 
spired the  Cavaliers  with  hope  by  making  himself 
master  of  all  Scotland,  till  he  was  defeated  by  David 
Leslie  at  Philiphaugh.  Meanwhile,  on  the  14:th  June, 
1465,  t!ie  Cavaliers  and  Roundheads  met  at  Naseby, 
near  Northampton ;  and  Rupert,  making  a  furious 
onslaught,  chased  the  left  wing  of  the  Parliamentary 
forces  from  the  field :  but  while  he  was  eager  in  the 
pursuit  the  Royalists  had  the  worst  of  the  engagement, 
and  the  King,  escaping,  ultimately  delivered  himself 
to  the  Scots,  who,  for  a  sum  of  money,  gave  him  up 
to  the  Parliamentary  Commissioners.  Charles  was 
then  lodged  in  the  Palace  of  Hampton  Court ;  but, 
dreading  foul  play,  fled  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  was 
imprisoned  in  Carisbrooke  Castle,  while  the  chief  pow- 
er fell  into  the  hands  of  Cromwell,  who  surrounded  the 
House  of  Commons  with  soldiers,  and  turned  the  Pres- 
byterian majority  out  of  doors. 

A  Court  of  Justice  was  then  appointed  to  judge  the 
King,  and  he  was  brought  to  a  trial  which  ended  in 
his  condemnation.      On  the  30th  of  January,  1G49, 


244  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

the  sentence  of  death  was  executed  in  front  of  WhitC' 
hall,  in  the  presence  of  a  thronging  multitude.  The 
King,  in  that  hour  of  agony,  bore  himself  with  heroic 
fortitude,  regal  dignity,  martyr-like  resignation,  and 
Christian  hope.  A  man  in  a  mask  acted  as  execu- 
tioner ;  and  another  similarly  disguised,  holding  up 
the  head  streaming  with  blood,  cried  aloud,  "  This  is 
the  head  of  a  traitor  I" 

Shocked  as  the  Cavaliers  of  England  were,  they 
remained  inactive.  The  Irish  rushed  into  rebellion ; 
but  Cromwell,  proceeding  thither,  put  them  down 
with  his  red  right  hand,  and  then  repaired  to  the 
North.  The  gallant  Montrose,  while  at  Brussels, 
had  received  intelligence  of  the  King's  execution,  and 
having  joined  the  heir  of  the  beheaded  monarch  at 
the  Hague,  he  planned  a  descent  on  Scotland,  and 
landed  in  Caithness,  displaying  a  black  banner,  on 
which  was  the  bloody  head  of  Charles,  and  the  in- 
scription, "  Judge  and  avenge  my  cause,  0  Lord  I" 
However,  he  was  defeated  on  the  river  Kyle,  taken 
prisoner,  and  hanged  at  Edinburgh  on  a  gallows  thir- 
ty feet  high. 

Scarcely  had  his  head  been  set  on  the  Tolbooth, 
when  Charles  H.,  having  been  invited  by  Scottish 
commissioners,  arrived,  was  proclaimed  King  at  Edin- 
burgh Cross,  and  solemnly  crowned  at  Scone.  But 
his  motley  supporters  having  been  routed  by  Crom- 
well at  Dunbar,  the  yomig  Charles,  entering  England, 
was  proclaimed  King  of  Great  Britain  at  the  head  of 


SUPREMACY   OF   CROMWELL.  245 

his  army.  On  arriving  at  Worcester,  he  was  joined 
by  the  Earl  of  Derby  ;  but  Cromwell  Ibllowing,  de- 
feated them  with  great  havoc.  The  King,  though  he 
fought  with  gallant  bravery,  was  fain  to  seek  safety 
in  flight.  After  personating  a  wood-cutter,  quartering 
in  a  barn,  and  concealing  himself  among  the  branches 
of  an  oak-tree,  he  succeeded,  under  various  disguises, 
in  baffling  his  pursuers  and  reaching  the  soil  of  France 
in  safety. 

Cromwell  returned  in  triumph  to  London,  and  the 
crown  might  have  been  his,  but  for  the  dislike  with 
which  the  army  regarded  the  name  of  King.  Under 
these  circumstances  he  resumed  his  seat  in  the  House 
of  Commons  ;  but  finding  that  body  hostile  to  his  am- 
bitious views,  he  at  length,  in  April  1653,  appeared 
Avith  his  officers  and  a  detachment  of  soldiers.  The 
Speaker  was  pulled  from  his  chair  ;  the  mace,  de- 
scribed by  the  Captain-general  as  "  that  bauble,"  was 
taken  away ;  the  members  were  driven  from  the 
House  ;  and  the  doors  were  locked  on  the  Long  Par- 
liament. 

Cromwell,  having  now  the  game  in  his  own  hands, 
summoned  a  representative  council,  consisting  of  a 
hundred  and  thirty-nine  persons,  which,  from  one  of 
its  conspicuous  members,  was  nicknamed  "  Barebones' 
Parliament ;"  and,  after  an  existence  of  five  months, 
was  dissolved  by  its  own  vote.  This  occurrence  ren- 
dered the  construction  of  some  form  of  government 
necessary,  and  the  Captain-general  exerted  his  mighty 


24G  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ExNGLAND. 

energies  to  restore  the  old  institutions  of  the  country 
un.der  new  names.  Cromwell  was  nominated  Lord 
Protector,  girt  with  the  sword  of  state,  and  invested 
with  sovereign  power ;  and  he  then  formed  a  new 
House  of  Commons,  extending  the  elective  privilege, 
disfranchising  small  boroughs,  increasing  the  number 
of  county  members,  and  giving  representatives  to  the 
most  considerable  towns.  He  also  endeavored  to  call 
into  existence  a  House  of  Lords,  but  was  not  success- 
fill  in  this  effort.  The  seats  offered  to  the  ancient  no- 
bility were  disdainfully  rejected  ;  and  the  Lower  House 
declined  to  acknowledge,  as  peers  of  the  realm,  the  ad- 
venturers who  were  suddenly  metamorphosed  into  a 
privileged  class.  Cromwell,  unwilling  to  be  trifled 
with,  suddenly  appeared  in  the  Lower  House,  and  dis- 
solved the  assembly  in  a  short,  severe  speech. 

The  terrible  Lord  Protector  now  ruled  alone,  but 
with  an  ability  seldom  surpassed.  Every  attempt  at 
insurrection  was  put  down  with  the  arm  of  military 
power.  The  Cavaliers,  a  tenth  part  of  whose  reve- 
nues had  been  confiscated,  though  as  loyal  to  the  ex- 
iled King  as  ever,  knew  full  well  that  it  was  vain  to 
stir  ;  and  the  Republicans,  though  as  violently  as  ever 
opposed  to  an  absolute  government,  were  equally  qui- 
escent. The  foreign  policy  of  the  great  usurper  was 
so  vigorous,  that  England  was  both  feared  and  respect- 
ed abroad.  Peace  was  dictated  to  Holland  ;  Jamaica 
and  Dunkirk  were  taken  from  Spain  ;  and  Admiral 
Blake  made  the  English  flag  dreaded  in  the  ocean. 


RESTORATION    OF  THE   STUARTS.  247 

Cromwell  expired,  in  full  possession  of  power,  on 
the  3d  September,  1658,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
eldest  son  Richard,  who,  after  a  brief  tenure  of  au- 
thority, beat  a  retreat  from  his  hazardous  elevation, 
retired  into  private  life,  and  lived  in  obscurity.  On' 
his  resignation,  the  officers  of  the  army,  calling-  them- 
selves a  provisional  government,  assumed  the  direction 
of  affairs,  and  much  confusion  was  the  consequence. 
Indeed  the  comitry  was  so  alarmed,  that  Cavaliers 
and  Roundheads,  forgetting  for  a  season  their  bitter 
controversy,  formed  an  alliance,  and  became  eager  to 
recall  the  banished  Stuarts. 

The  enormous  power  of  the  army  rendered  matters 
critical  in  the  extreme,  and  care  sat  on  every  face,  till 
General  Monk,  whom  Cromwell  had,  nine  years  pre- 
viously, left  in  command  of  the  forces  north  of  the 
Tweed,  marched  into  England,  and  declared  for  a  free 
Parliament,  which  was  assembled.  A  satisfactory 
message  was  presented  from  Charles,  who  thereupon 
was  once  more  proclaimed  King  ;  and  on  the  2oth  of 
May,  16G0,  he  was  received  by  the  populace  with 
boundless  enthusiasm. 

Charles  II.  Avas,  indeed,  in  possession  of  an  amount 
of  popular  favor  which  had  been  bestowed  on  few  of 
his  predecessors  ;  and,  with  all  his  faults  and  failings, 
— his  prodigality,  mdolence,  and  luxurious  habits — he 
took  care  that  the  monarchy  of  the  Restoration  should 
endure  for  his  hfetime.  He  made  no  pretensions  to 
the  kingcraft  of  which  his  grandfather  believed  him- 


248  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

self  so  accomplished  a  master,  but  he  knew  that  it 
was  better  to  ghde  with  the  current  than  to  die  an 
exiled  king. 

i  In  16G1  he  espoused  Catherine  of  Portugal,  and 
received  as  her  dower  the  fortress  of  Tangier,  where 
were  trained  some  of  the  best  English  soldiers,  who 
subsequently  fought  in  the  wars  with  France.  In 
1664,  a  war  against  Holland  was  carried  on  at  such 
an  enormous  expense,  and  attended  with  so  little  suc- 
cess, that  a  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  at  Breda, 
in  1667.  This  disastrous  termination,  with  the  sale 
of  Dunkirk,  excited  public  clamor.  Hyde,  who,  hav- 
ing shared  the  King's  exile,  had  since  been  created 
Earl  of  Clarendon,  and  whose  daughter  was  Duchess 
of  York,  being  regarded  as  the  cause,  was  on  false  pre- 
tenses disgraced  and  banished. 

Scarcely  was  the  peace  with  Holland  concluded, 
when  the  ministers  of  Charles  formed  a  triple  alliance 
with  that  country  and  Sweden  to  curb  the  power  of 
France,  then  the  most  formidable  in  Europe ;  but 
after  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  Louis  XIV.  al- 
lured Charles  to  his  interests.  This  was  not  unnatu- 
ral, for  during  their  long  exile  Charles  and  his  brother, 
the  Duke  of  York,  had  become  infected  with  Popery, 
each  after  his  own  nature.  Charles  would  not  risk  an 
open  avowal ;  but  James,  having  "  drank  ofi  the  whole 
chalice,"  declared  himself  a  Catholic.  This  caused  so 
serious  an  outcry,  than  an  Act  was  passed  by  Parlia- 
ment, requiring  a  test  from  all  persons  in  the  service 


THE   POPISH   AND   RYE-HOUSE   PLOTS.      213 

of  the  state.  The  Duke,  uuablo  to  take  the  oath,  was 
deprived  of  his  office  of  High  Admiral.  Nor  did 
matters  rest  there  :  for  Titus  Gates,  a  deposed  clergy- 
man, pretending  to  have  discovered  a  Popish  plot 
for  burning  London,  murdering  the  Protestants,  and 
placing  James  on  the  throne,  several  persons,  among 
whom  was  Lord  Stafford,  suffered  death.  The  Prot- 
estant feeling  of  the  country  was  aroused  ;  a  test  was 
applied  to  exclude  Papists  from  Parhament ;  and  the 
Exclusion  Bill,  to  prevent  the  Duke  of  York  from  suc- 
ceeding to  the  crown,  passed  the  Commons,  hut  was 
defeated  by  the  Peers.  In  the  same  year,  1678,  the 
Habeas  Corpus  Act  became  law. 

In  1683,  a  new  conspiracy,  known  as  the  Rye- 
House  Plot,  from  the  place  where  it  was  formed, 
came  to  light ;  and  for  participating  in  it  Lord  Rus- 
sell and  Algernon  Sydney  were  executed. 

This  detection  strengthened  the  royal  influence  ; 
the  Duke  of  York  was  restored  to  his  official  posi- 
tion ;  and  he  was  tacitly  acknowledged  as  lieir  to  the 
crown,  to  which  he  succeeded  on  the  6th  of  February, 
1685,  when  Charles  expired  without  a  struggle,  in 
the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  life. 

James  II.,  having  addressed  to  the  Privy  Council 
a  speech  expressive  of  his  intention  to  maintain  the 
established  government  in  church  and  state,  was  pro- 
claimed King,  and  soon  after  solemnly  crowned  in 
"Westminster  Abbey. 

Notwithstanding  his  fair  promises,  and  the  latitude 


250  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

allowed  him  in  publicly  celebrating  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic rites  in  his  palace,  James  contemplated  the  in- 
sane project  of  subjugating  England  to  the  Church  of 
Rome.  His  notorious  hostility  to  the  Habeas  Corpus 
Act,  regarded  by  all  parties  as  the  rampart  of  liberty, 
and  to  the  Test  Act,  recognized  as  the  rampart  of  re- 
ligion, excited  strong  indignation  in  the  breasts  of 
many  Cavaliers,  who  had  signalized  their  loyalty  by 
strenuous  opposition  to  the  Exclusion  Bill. 

At  this  period,  weary  of  exile,  the  Scottish  refugees, 
headed  by  the  Earl  of  Argyle,  landed  in  Scotland, 
and  attempted  a  rebellion,  which  led  to  nothing  more 
important  than  the  execution  of  their  leader.  But  a 
more  serious  invasion  soon  took  place  on  the  part  of 
the  English  exiles,  under  a  man  who  enjoyed  an  ex- 
traordinary measure  of  undeserved  popularity. 

James  Crofts,  duke  of  Monmouth,  was  reputed  to 
be  a  natural  son  of  the  second  Charles,  and  had  been 
treated  as  such  by  that  facile  and  good-natured  mon- 
arch, who  had  united  him  to  the  rich  heiress,  in 
whom  terminated  the  line  of  the  old  barons  of  Buc- 
cleuch,  on  whose  name  Sir  Walter  Scott  has  conferred 
so  wide  a  celebrity.  Monmouth  had  fought  so  well 
in  the  Continental  wars,  and  won  so  much  applause, 
that  the  crown  seemed  within  his  reach  ;  but  on  the 
discovery  of  the  Rye-House  plot,  after  concealing  him- 
self for  some  time  in  England,  he  repaired  to  the 
Hague,  where  he  was  hospitably  entertained  by  the 
Princess  of  Orange,  till  the  accession  of  her  vindictive 


MONMOUTH'S   REBELLION.  251 

father  rendered  it  impolitic  to  protect  the  exile  longer. 
Monmouth  had  then  retired  to  Brussels,  but  was  pre- 
vailed on  by  the  banished  English  to  leave  his  re- 
treat, and  sailing  from  Amsterdam,  he  landed  at 
Lynn,  in  Dorsetshire,  vi^ith  no  more  than  a  hundred 
followers.  The  inhabitants  were  opposed  to  the  court, 
and  Monmouth,  having  issued  a  declaration,  accusing 
James  of  various  crimes,  and  asserting  his  own  legiti- 
macy, was  joined  by  six  thousand  of  the  peasantry ; 
and,  some  days  later,  he  was  vain  and  foolish  enough 
to  assume  the  title  of  King.  Having  met  with  a 
cordial  reception  at  Taunton,  King  Monmouth,  en- 
camping at  Bridgewater,  took  up  his  residence  in  its 
castle ;  but  his  progress  was  ere  long  interrupted,  lor 
on  every  side  the  provincial  magnates  were  muster- 
ing the  militia ;  and  the  news  of  his  landing  having 
reached  London,  regular  troops,  under  the  command  of 
Lord  Feversham,  arrived  at  Sedgemoor.  Monmouth 
led  his  forces  to  an  attack  in  the  darkness  of  night  ; 
but  the  genius  of  Lord  Churchill,  who  was  second  in 
command,  speedily  prevailed,  and  the  ill-starred  im- 
postor, flying  in  terror  from  the  scene  of  action,  was 
captured  while  crouching  in  a  ditch.  He  implored 
the  gloomy  tyrant's  mercy,  after  a  fashion  sulhciently 
abject  to  justify  doubts  as  to  the  royalty  of  his  parent- 
age, but  was  nevertheless  beheaded  on  Tower  Hill. 

Soon  after  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  Jefler- 
ies,  who,  from  the  son  of  a  small  proprietor  in  Wales, 
had  arrived  at  the  dignity  of  Chi':f   Justice  of  En- 


252  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

gland,  was  sent  westward  to  try  the  unfortunate  be- 
ings who  had  taken  part  in  the  rebelhou.  J  cileries 
hanged  several  hundreds,  and  by  his  proceedings 
earned  a  most  unenviable  celebrity.  For  his  san- 
guinary services  he  was  promoted  to  the  woolsack, 
and  created  Earl  of  Flint. 

The  power  of  James  was  now  at  its  height ;  but 
he  was  surrounded  by  a  small  knot  of  Roman  Catho- 
lics, who  urged  him  on  his  desperate  course.  With 
their  advice,  and  under  the  inspiration  of  Petre,  a 
Jesuit,  he  rushed  headlong  to  destruction.  Indeed, 
his  policy  was  utterly  at  variance  with  the  feelings  of 
those  to  whom  he  looked  for  support.  He  expressed 
a  determination  of  being  no  longer  fettered  by  the 
Test  Act,  and  exhibited  a  resolution  to  have  a  stand- 
ing army,  officered  by  Papists.  He  restored  the 
Court  of  High  Commission,  and  audaciously  deprived 
many  Protestants  of  their  offices  to  make  way  for 
those  of  his  own  faith. 

At  length,  in  1688,  his  Declaration  of  Indulgence, 
by  which  he  suspended  all  penal  laws  against  Non- 
conformists, and  abrogated  all  religious  tests,  was  or- 
dered to  be  read  in  churches.  Seven  bishops  there- 
upon presented  a  petition,  stating  that  they  could  not 
be  parties  to  the  publication.  James  denounced  their 
document  as  a  standard  of  rebellion,  and  the  bishops, 
after  being  sent  to  the  Tower,  were  tried  in  Westmin- 
ster Hall,  but  on  the  30tb  of  June  acquitted,  amids*- 
rapturous  applause. 


ARRIVAL  OF   WILLIAM   OF   ORANGE.         253 

The  infatuated  King's  cup  was  now  full.  He  had 
played  the  game  of  tyranny,  and  been  beaten.  Even 
the  old  Cavaliers  felt  that  he  had  forfeited  their  alle- 
giance. An  invitation  was  sent  to  William  of  Orange 
to  come  and  deliver  the  nation  from  bigotry  and  tyr- 
anny. "William,  whose  spouse  was  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  James,  landed  in  November  at  Torbay,  on  the 
coast  of  Devon,  with  a  banner,  on  which  was  in- 
scribed "  The  Protestant  Religion  and  the  Liberties 
of  England."  At  Exeter  there  came  to  him  several 
Cavaliers  of  rank  and  distinction  in  the  country,  the 
most  conspicuous  being  Sir  Edward  Seymour,  chief  of 
those  high-spirited,  untitled  patricians,  who,  through 
good  and  evil  report,  had  been,  to  three  generations  of 
the  house  of  Stuart,  "  true  as  the  dial  to  the  sun." 
Seymour  proposed  that  a  bond  should  be  signed  by 
the  assembled  Englishmen,  pledging  themselves  to 
act  together,  till  the  religion,  laws,  and  liberties  of 
the  realm  were  secured,  in  a  free  parhament,  against 
the  perils  of  Popery  and  slavery. 

Meantime  James,  incited  by  John  Grahame  of 
Claverhouse,  whom  he  had  recently  created  Viscount 
Dundee,  was  eager  to  1ry  the  event  of  a  stricken 
field  ;  but  being  abandoiied  by  the  Lord  Churchill 
and  others,  such  a  course  was  soon  out  of  his  power. 
His  second  daughter,  Anne,  with  her  husband,  George 
of  Denmark,  went  over  to  the  Prince.  "  God  help 
me  !"  exclaimed  James  ;  "  my  own  children  have 
forsaken  me  I"     After  a  fruitless  negotiation  to  gain 


254  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

time,  the  unhappy  sovereign  sent  his  Q,ueen,  Maiy  of 
Modena,  and  her  infant  son,  to  France,  and  learning 
that  they  had  safely  embarked  at  Gravesend,  he  at- 
tempted to  follow.  Much  to  the  confusion  of  his  son- 
in-law,  he  was  intercepted,  and  brought  back  to  Lon- 
don ;  but  being  sent  to  Rochester,  he  was  afterward 
allowed  to  escape.  James  joined  his  (iueen  at  St. 
Gerraains,  where  they  were  most  munilicently  re- 
ceived and  entertained  by  the  French  monarch. 

Jefieries,  who  had  been  the  convenient  instrument 
of  James's  tyranny,  was  less  fortunate  in  the  day  of 
reckoning.  In  attemptmg  to  escape  he  assumed  the 
garb  of  a  sailor,  and  secured  a  berth  in  a  trader  bound 
for  the  Contment.  His  love  of  liquor  was'  so  much 
more  potent  than  his  dread  of  danger,  that  he  insisted 
on  being  put  ashore  in  the  morning  before  sailing,  to 
indulge  in  a  refreshing  draught  of  the  ale  of  the  Red 
Cow  at  Wapping,  where  he  was  recognized  by  an 
attorney,  whom  he  had  lately  abused  in  the  Court  of 
Chancery.  He  was  in  such  danger  of  being  pulled 
to  pieces  by  the  populace,  that  he  implored  the  Lord 
Mayor,  before  whom  he  was  carried,  to  send  him  to 
the  Tower,  and  there  closed  his  disreputable  career. 

The  throne  being  vacant  by  the  abdication  of  the 
last  Popish  sovereign  of  England,  a  Convention  Par- 
liament was  held.  At  first  a  proposal  was  made  that 
Mary,  as  daughter  of  the  banished  King,  should  be 
invested  with  the  cymbols  of  supreme  authority,  and 
that  her  Dutch  consort  should  enact  the  part  of  E.e- 


THE   REVOLUTION.  255 

gent.  But  William,  laying  aside  for  a  few  moments 
his  sullen  reserve,  gave  a  distinct  intimation  that  he 
should  not  remain  vi^ithin  the  four  seas  to  occupy  any 
secondary  position ;  and  he  acquired  the  crown  by 
what  Lord  Bolingbroke  called  the  best  of  all  titles, 
the  free  gift  of  a  people  whom  he  had  delivered  from 
impending  destruction — from  Popery  and  slavery. 

William  and  Mary  were  crowned  with  all  due  hon- 
ors on  the  13th  February,  1689  ;  and  though  the 
revolution  which  placed  them  on  the  throne  was  of 
no  violent  character,  its  justice  and  necessity  were  not 
so  universally  acknowledged  as  to  secure  internal  re- 
pose during  their  reign. 

When  the  intelligence  of  William's  success  reached 
the  Scottish  metropolis,  the  members  of  govenmieut 
changed  sides  with  marvelous  haste,  and  the  populace 
rising,  attacked  the  mass-houses  and  sacked  Holyrood  ; 
while  in  the  western  shires  the  peasantry  were  tempt- 
ed to  commit  scandalous  outrages.  But  Claverbouse, 
who  had  traversed  the  whole  of  England  almost  with- 
out escort,  suddenly  presented  himself  to  the  Lords  of 
Convention,  whom  he  gave  to  understand  that  he 
Vvould  rather  crouch  with  the  fox  than  own  a  usurper. 
After  holding  a  private  conference  with  the  Duke  of 
Gordon  at  the  postern  of  the  castle,  attended  by  about 
fifty  horsemen,  he  directed  his  course  northward,  and 
invoked  the  loyalty  of  the  clans,  with  whom  he  was 
in  the  highest  favor.  General  Mackay,  an  officer  of 
consummate  skill  and  great  experience,  was  dispatch- 


256  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

ed  by  the  Government  to  encounter  the  Highlanc^ 
host,  and  came  up  with  it  at  the  pass  of  KiUicrankie. 
Mackay  occupied  a  piece  of  meadow  land,  and  opened 
a  brisk  cannonade  ;  while  the  Gaelic  warriors,  who 
covered  the  heights,  throwing  off  their  plaids  and 
ehort  coats,  on  a  given  signal  rushed  downward  in 
their  shirts  with  so  much  impetuosity,  that  the  vic- 
tory was  instantaneous.  But,  in  the  moment  of  tri- 
umph, Claverhouse  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  only 
survived  to  wTite  a  brief  account  of  the  battle.  By  a 
capitulation  with  the  new  Government,  the  regular 
troops  who  had  served  under  him  were  conveyed  to 
France,  and  distributed  through  various  garrisons. 
They  were  subsequently  formed  into  a  regiment,  and 
faced  death  bravely  on  many  a  foreign  strand.  Some 
left  their  bones  to  whiten  fields  of  fight ;  others  found 
a  last  resting-place  in  mouldering  cloisters. 

Notvdthstanding  the  fall  of  Claverhouse,  James 
did  not  despair.  He  landed  with  an  army  at  Dublin, 
and  was  so  enthusiastically  received,  that  for  a  time 
there  appeared  some  slight  prospect  of  success.  But 
William,  taking  his  forces  into  Ireland,  defeated  his 
father-in-law  on  the  banks  of  the  Boyne,  and  James 
returned  to  the  dominions  of  the  French  king.  There- 
upon a  negotiation  was  entered  into  for  disbanding 
the  Jacobite  forces  north  of  the  Forth,  and  a  pardon 
proclaimed  to  all  who  should  subscribe  the  oath  of 
allegiance  before  a  certain  date.  Notwithstanding 
this  fair  promise,  the  Macdonalds  of  Glencoe  were 


THE    MASSACRE    OF   GLENCOE.  'J57 

diabolically  butchered  one  morning  before  daybreak 
by  a  company  of  the  Campbells,  placed  in  their  houses 
for  that  purpose.  This  event,  known  as  the  Massacre 
of  Glencoe,  and  the  treachery  he  displayed  in  the 
Darien  aflair,  have  rendered  the  name  of  William  of 
Orange  odious  to  the  Scottish  nation. 

Indeed  that  royal  hero — for  a  hero  and  the  cham- 
pion of  Protestantism  he  was,  in  spite  of  all  his  faults 
and  failings — had  little  sympathy  with  the  people  over 
whom  he  ruled.  His  attention  was,  for  the  most  part, 
occupied  with  attempts  to  curtail  the  power  of  France, 
and  humble  the  pride  of  her  grand  monarch  ;  and  he 
chiefly  valued  his  connection  with  England  because  it 
enabled  him  to  raise  such  sums  as  his  military  enter- 
prises rendered  necessary.  This  led  to  the  national 
debt,  and  to  complaints,  both  loud  and  deep,  that,  with- 
out levying  a  tax  on  land.  Government  w'as  in  no  con- 
dition to  send  a  cock-boat  to  sea,  or  keep  a  sentinel  at 
AVhitehall  gate.  "William's  wars  were  not,  from  vari- 
ous causes,  very  successful ;  yet  he  maintained  himself 
on  the  English  throne,  and  compelled  the  King  of 
France  to  promise  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed  in 
its  possession. 

Nevertheless,  when  the  deposed  King  died  at  St. 
Germains,  in  1701,  Louis  caused  his  son,  the  Chevalier, 
to  be  proclaimed  as  James  III.,  and  thereby  gave 
/mortal  oflense  to  his  austere,  sullen,  and  reserved  rival. 
William  prepared  to  undertake  another  Avar ;  but 
before  it  had  been  actually  declared  he  was  killed  by 
E. 


258  IIISTORV   FOR   BOVS.— ENGLAND. 

a  fall  of  his  horse  over  a  molehill,  and  his  Glueen, 
having  died  several  years  previously  without  issue, 
her  sister  ascended  the  throne  in  1702. 

Q-ueen  Anne  boasted  of  having  a  thoroughly  En- 
glish heart,  and  adopted  Elizabeth's  motto — Scmjx/ 
eadem.  A  treaty  of  union  with  Scotland  was  signed 
in  1706  ;  while  in  conjunction  with  Holland  and  the 
Empire,  England  prosecuted  war  against  the  Bour- 
bons. Marlborough  and  Prince  Eugene  commanded 
the  allied  army,  and  signally  defeated  the  French  at 
Blenheim  and  Ramilies.  The  success  of  the  Duke  of 
Berwick,  a  natural  son  of  James  II.,  in  some  measure 
retrieved  these  disasters  ;  but  Marlborough  was  again 
victorious  at  Oudenarde  and  Malplaquet. 

In  1710,  however,  that  illustrious  captain  fell 
under  the  dueen's  displeasure,  and  his  friends  were 
removed  from  office.  Robert  Harley  became  minister, 
and  claiming  descent  through  a  female  from  the  old 
De  Veres,  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Earl  of  Oxford  ; 
Henry  St.  John,  the  friend  of  Pope,  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  State,  and  subsequently  created  Viscount 
Bolingbroke ;  and,  after  multitudinous  preliminaries, 
peace  was  formally  established  by  the  treaty  signed  at 
Utrecht  in  1713. 

From  the  autumn  of  that  year  the  Q,ueeu's  health, 
which  had  previously  been  precarious,  declined  daily  ; 
and  in  the  winter  she  had  so  severe  an  attack,  that 
there  remained  very  faint  hopes  of  recovery.  She 
lingered,  however,  till  the  summer  of  1714,  when, 


ACCESSION  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  HANOVER.  25'J 

liaviiig  a  lew  days  earlier  deprived  Oxford  of  the 
Treasurer's  waiul,  she  died  of  apoplexy  on  Sunday, 
the  1st  of  August.  Her  children  had  preceded  her  to 
the  grave ;  and  the  crown,  in  accordance  with  the 
Act  of  Settlement,  went  to  the  Elector  of  Hanover,  as 
son  of  the  Princess  Sophia,  whose  mother  was  the 
unfortunate  Glueen  of  Bohemia. 

George  I.  was  proclaimed  King ;  and  so  perfect 
was  the  calm  and  suhinission  throughout  the  land,  that 
neither  riot  nor  outrage  occurred  on  the  occasion. 
Indeed,  there  seemed  every  prospect  of  a  reiffn  as 
bloodless,  in  a  domestic  point  of  view,  as  that  which 
had  just  terminated  ;  Lut  the  severity  exhibited  to- 
ward the  late  Q,ueen's  ministers  was  by  no  means  cal- 
culated to  reconcile  those  who  cherished  any  aflection 
ibr  the  Stuart  race. 

"Within  four  days  after  the  Q,ueen's  funeral,  an 
express  arrived  from  Hanover  with  instructions  to  the 
Council  of  Eogency  to  remove  Bollugbroke  from  his 
place  as  Secretary  of  State  ;  and  the  doors  of  his 
office  in  the  Cockpit  were  thereupon  locked  and  scaled 
up.  On  his  majesty's  arrival  at  Greenwich,  Oxford, 
who  -w^ent  to  kiss  his  hand,  Avas  treated  with  marked 
contempt ;  there  was  an  entire  change  of  all  persons 
in  employment,  and  threats  of  impeachment  were 
openly  made  by  the  new  servants  of  the  crown.  Tiie 
impolicy  of  this  course  was  soon  apparent ;  for  on  the 
20th  October,  when  the  King's  coronation  took  place 
with  the  accustomed  pomp  and  circumstance,  riots  in 


260  HISTORY   FOR   BUYS.— ENGLAND. 

various  cities  and  towns  of  England  indicated,  in  a 
manner  not  to  be  misunderstood,  that  a  dangerous 
spirit  of  disafiection  was  abroad. 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1715  a  proclamation 
was  issued  for  a  new  election  ;  reflections  were  freely 
made  on  the  conduct  of  the  expelled  ministry ;  and 
the  constituencies  were  invoked  to  return  represent- 
atives who  had  stood  firmly  by  the  Protestant  suc- 
cession. It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  for  rising  in  his 
place,  when  Parliament  assembled,  to  characterize  the 
language  employed  in  the  proclamation  as  unprece- 
dented and  unwarrantable.  Sir  William  Wyr.dham, 
member  for  the  county  of  Somerset,  who  had  figured 
successively  as  Master  of  the  Buckhounds,  Secretary 
at  War,  and  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  Avas,  on  the 
resolution  of  the  House  of  Commons,  severely  repri- 
manded by  the  Speaker,  after  having  narrowly  escaped 
being  sent  to  the  Tower. 

The  management  of  the  House  was  committed  to 
Robert  Walpole,  who  had  for  years  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  public  aflairs.  The  son  of  a  Norfolk  squire, 
he  had  been  educated  at  Eton  and  Cambridge,  and 
given  early  proofs  of  high  talent.  AYalpole  had  been 
originally  destined  for  the  Church,  but  on  the  death 
of  an  elder  brother  he  took  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
paternal  estate  of  Houghton,  sold  cattle  once  a  Aveek 
at  the  neighboring  fairs,  and  often,  along  with  his 
worthy  sire,  indulged  with  extraordinary  freedom  in 
the  bottle,  and  in  a  style  of  conversation  peculiarly 


SIR  ROBERT   WALPOLE.  261 

ofiensive  to  the  ears  of  the  refined.  At  an  early  ago 
he  had  been  chosen  member  for  Castle  Rising,  and 
raised  himself  to  consideration  and  celebrity.  During 
Oxford's  tenure  of  power  he  had  been  imprisoned  for 
malversation,  and  declared  incapable  of  sitting  in  the 
existing  Parliament ;  but  his  party  treated  him  as  a 
martyr,  and  he  appeared  in  the  new  House  of  Commons 
with  pecidiar  zeal  for  the  Hanoverian  dynasty,  and 
with  no  very  benevolent  feelings  toward  those  who 
had  been  his  accusers.  Under  his  guidance,  the  work 
was  carried  on  with  vigor  ;  a  reward  of  one  luindred 
thousand  pounds  was  voted  for  the  head  of  the  Pre- 
tender ;  and  Oxford  and  Bolingbroke,  with  several  of 
their  colleagues,  were  impeached  of  high  treason. 
Oxford,  though  his  friends  had  urged  him  to  flee  to  the 
Continent,  refused  to  confirm  by  such  a  step  the  re- 
ports circulated  to  his  disadvantage,  awaited  the  event 
privately  about  London,  and  was  conveyed,  amidst  the 
tumultuous  and  sympathetic  cheers  of  the  populace,  to 
the  Tower,  and  languished  there  till  1717.  Boling- 
broke pursued  a  diflerent  course.  Though  strongly 
suspected  of  having  intrigued  with  the  Chevalier,  he 
betrayed  no  signs  of  fear,  but  took  his  part  in  the 
public  business  as  a  peer  of  the  realm,  and  addressed 
the  House  of  Lords  with  all  his  matchless  eloquence. 
At  length,  seeing  that  he  need  expect  no  mercy,  ho 
appeared  at  Drury  Lane  Theo.tre,  and  having  bespoke 
a  play  for  the  next  evening,  he  left  town  in  the  dis- 
guise   of  a    courier.       So  obnoxious  was  he   to   the 


262  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Hanoverian  King,  that  Lord  Peterboj-ough,  on  account 
of  having  met  him  on  the  road  between  Calais  and  the 
French  capital,  was  forbidden  the  court.  Bolingbroke 
retired  to  Dauphine  ;  but,  with  the  smart  of  a  bill  of 
attainder  tingling  in  every  vein,  he  allowed  him.self  to 
be  dragged  into  the  Chevalier's  service,  and  accepted 
the  seals  as  a  secretary  of  state. 

Meantime,  in  England,  popular  discontent  increased 
to  such  a  degree,  tliat  if  the  heir  of  the  Stuart  ]ung.s 
had  been  a  prince  worthy  of  a  great  nation's  confi- 
dence, he  must  have  proved  a  formidable,  most  likely 
a  successful,  foe  to  the  reigning  dynasty.  But  the 
Chevalier  was  not  a  person  of  that  description.  His 
intellect  was  limited,  and  he  had  so  inadequate  a  con- 
ception of  the  struggle  in  which  he  was  about  lo  em- 
bark, that  he  talked  like  a  man  who  expected  every 
moment  to  set  sail  for  England  or  Scotland,  without 
knowing  which.  Moreover,  in  his  religious  views  ho 
was  so  servilely  submissive  to  the  Church  of  Rome, 
that  reasoning  Catholics  pronounced  him  far  too  much 
of  a  Papist.  His  bigotry  blinded  him  so  utterly  to 
his  own  interest,  that  while  his  father  passed  for  a 
saint,  at  whose  tomb  miracles  were  reported  to  be 
wrought,  he  Avould  not  have  his  royal  sister  described 
as  "  of  blessed  memoiy,"  and  even  declined  to  allow 
his  grandfather  to  be  styled  a  martyr.  His  whole 
education  had  rendered  him  unfit  to  reign. 

The  honest  Jacobites,  with  little  knowledge  of  the 
individual  who  aspired  to  sit  on  the  throne  and  rule 


THE   REBELLION    OF   1715.  2G3 

over  the  realms  of  the  first  Edward,  prepared  to  take 
up  arms  in  his  behalf.  The  example  was  set  by  the 
Earl  of  Mar,  who,  after  a  vain  attempt  to  curry  favor 
with  King  George,  embarked  with  a  few  followers  in 
a  collier  at  Gravesend,  and  landing  in  Fife,  set  up 
the  Chevalier's  standard  in  the  autumn  of  1 7 1 5.  Mar 
had  deluded  the  people  of  Scotland  into  a  high  ad- 
miration of  his  patriotic  spirit,  and  ere  long  found 
himself  at  the  head  of  several  thousand  men.  This 
excited  so  much  alarm,  that  orders  M'ere  dispatched  to 
Edinburgh  for  the  apprehension  of  suspected  persons, 
in  obedience  to  which  several  men  of  mark  and  likeli- 
hood were  committed  to  the  Castle. 

Nor  was  enmity  to  the  new  Government  confined 
to  Scotland.  The  Chevalier  was  proclaimed  in  Corn- 
wall, where  the  laboring  populace  were  devoted  to 
his  cause ;  at  Oxford  his  health  was  openly  drunk  ; 
and  a  rising  was  anticipated  throughout  the  M'estern 
shires.  Sir  William  Wyndham  and  five  other  senators 
were  ordered  to  be  arrested  ;  but  one  of  these,  Thomas 
Forster,  member  for  Northumberland,  and  a  stanch 
JProtestant,  eluded  pursuit,  raised  the  Chevalier's  stand- 
ard in  the  north  of  England,  and  was  supported  by 
Lords  Derwentwater  and  Widdrington.  Crossing  the 
Tweed,  they  were  joined  by  several  Scottish  peers — 
Kenmure,  Winton,  and  Carnwarth  ;  after  which  thoy 
turned  southward,  the  militia  under  Lords  Lonsdale 
and  Carlisle  retiring  precipitately.  The  insurgents 
entered  Lancaster  unopposed  ;  from  which  place  they 


2GI  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

marched  to  Preston,  a  regiment  of  regular  troops  and 
a  militia  force  giving  way  on  their  approach.  They 
had  now,  however,  got  to  the  end  of  their  line ;  for, 
being  beset  by  Generals  "Wells  and  Carpenter,  they 
surrendered  on  the  same  day  which  witnessed  the 
drawn  battle  between  Mar  and  Argyle  at  Sherifl' 
Mulr. 

When  the  Christmas  of  1715  arrived,  the  grave 
had  closed  over  the  magnificent  French  monarch,  who 
was  the  best  friend  the  Chevalier  possessed.  The 
Jacobites,  almost  despairing  of  any  thing  resembling 
success,  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  glad  to  disband, 
and  content  themselves  by  such  harmless  manifesta- 
tions of  loyalty  to  the  race  they  loved,  not  wisely  but 
too  well,  as  drinking  the  health  of  the  King  over  the 
water-bottle,  wearing  oaken  boughs  on  the  anniversary 
of  the  Restoration,  and  white  roses  on  the  Chevalier's 
birthday.  Hope  had  fled,  when  a  small  foreign  ship, 
touching  at  Peterhead,  put  ashore  the  ill-fated  heir  of 
a  long  line  of  kings,  attended  by  a  confessor  and  a 
few  friends.  He  passed  through  Aberdeen  arrayed 
like  a  naval  officer ;  and  being  forthwith  joined  by 
Mar,  made  a  public  entry  into  Dundee,  accompanied 
by  three  hundred  horsemen,  loyal  gentlemen  and  chiefs 
of  ancient  names,  whom  feelings  of  compassion  and  ro- 
mantic honor  had  led  to  his  side.  Having  remained 
for  an  hour  in  the  market-place,  the  people  thronging 
to  pay  him  homage,  the  Chevalier  repaired  to  Perth, 
in  which  neighborhood  was  the  palace  of  Scone,  where 


LANDING   OF  THE   PRETENDER.  2G5 

forty-eight  Scottish  kings  had  been  crowned.  Ho 
now  issued  several  proclamations,  which  produced 
a  momentary  flash  of  enthusiasm ;  but  the  approach 
of  Argyle,  who  had  just  been  reinforced  by  six  thou- 
sand Dutch  soldiers,  brought  his  council  to  their 
senses,  and  it  was  resolved  that  the  enterprise  should, 
without  further  delay,  be  abandoned.  Accordingly 
they  crossed  the  Tay,  which  was  then  covered  Avith 
ice,  and  repaired  to  the  town  of  Montrose,  where  the 
Chevalier  left  his  adherents  to  shift  for  themselves. 
Having  ordered  lii-s  horses  and  guard  to  be  drawn  np 
in  front  of  his  quarters,  he  slipped  out  at  the  back- 
door, and  taking  Mar  with  him,  embarked  on  board 
a  small  vessel,  which,  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the 
Government  cruisers,  landed  him  safely  at  Gravelines. 
He  afterward  went  to  Avignon,  having  previously 
discharged  Bolingbroke  from  his  service  by  a  note, 
whose  "  kingly  laconic  style"  raised  a  smile  of  con- 
tempt on  the  intellectual  countenance  of  the  expatri- 
ated statesman. 

Meanwhile  the  English  Parliament  assembled,  in- 
troduced the  Septennial  Bill,  and  impeached  the  lords 
taken  at  Preston.  Derwentwater  and  Kenmure  expi- 
ated their  ollense  on  the  scallbld.  Widdrington  and 
Carnwarth  were  respited,  and  eventually  set  at  liberty. 
Winton,  scorning  the  thought  of  asking  mercy,  quitted 
the  Tower  with  the  connivance  of  his  keeper,  and  died 
long  after  at  Home.  Forster  escaping  from  New- 
gate before  his  trial,  rode  with  hot  basic  te  Rochford, 


266  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

whence  a  vessel  conveyed  him  to  the  coast  of  France. 
Nithsdale,  on  the  evening  before  the  day  appointed  for 
his  execution,  was  visited  by  his  mother,  whom  he 
strongly  resembled  in  stature,  features,  and  tone  of 
voice.  Disguising  himself  in  the  hat,  deep  black  vail, 
and  long  mourning  cloak  of  the  noble  matron,  he 
passed  the  sentinels  without  exciting  suspicion,  and 
succeeded  in  making  a  hair-breadth  escape  beyond  the 
seas.  King  George  had  hitherto  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  intercessions  on  Nithsdale's  behalf;  even  the  pa- 
thetic appeal  of  the  young  Countess,  who  had  obtain- 
ed an  audience  by  stratagem,  had  proved  inefiectual ; 
but  on  the  news  of  the  unfortunate  nobleman's  escape 
being  carried  to  him,  his  majesty  pleasantly  remarked, 
in  accents  remotely  resembling  broken  English,  that 
it  was  the  best  thing  a  man  in  such  circumstances 
could  have  done. 

The  scene  of  blood  and  vengeance  over,  the  King 
paid  a  visit  to  Hanover ;  and  the  Prince  of  Wales 
having  in  his  absence,  while  acting  as  guardian  of  the 
realm,  incurred  his  royal  sire's  displeasin-e,  a  bitter 
quarrel  ensued.  Next  year  war  was  declared  against 
Spain,  and  the  King  soon  after  informed  Parliament 
that  an  invasion  from  that  country  would  be  at 
tempted  in  favor  of  the  Pretender.  The  fleet  sen) 
was  dispersed  by  a  storm,  a  solitary  ship  reachinn 
Scotland. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  circumstances  of  this 
reign  was  the  projection  of  the  South  Sea  scheme. 


THE    SOUTH   SEA   SCHEME.  2C7 

which  speedily  involved  the  nation  in  ruinous  specu- 
lation, and  led  to  results  so  disastrous,  that  the  par- 
tisans of  the  Chevalier,  avaiUng  themselves  of  the  tur- 
moil, began  to  plot.  Several  of  them  were  arrested 
on  suspicion  ;  and  the  hold,  daring  Bishop  Atterhnry, 
Avho  had,  on  a  former  occasion,  oflerod  to  proclaim 
James  III.  in  full  canonicals  at  the  Royal  Exchange, 
was  exiled  for  life,  and  deprived  of  the  comjiany  of 
British  subjects  residing  abroad.  About  the  same 
time  Bolingbrokc  procured  a  free  pardon  and  the  se- 
curity of  his  estate ;  but  being  most  improperly  ex- 
cluded from  his  seat  in  Parliament,  ho  betook  himself 
to  the  rural  quiet  of  Dawlcy,  where  he  cultivated  the 
friendship  of  Pope,  read  letters  from  Dean  Swift  while 
sitting  among  haycocks,  and  contributed  to  "  The 
Craftsman"  political  papers  distinguished  by  a  felici- 
tous and  flowing  diction,  and  characterized  by  a  bitter 
enmity  to  Walpole. 

In  1727  the  King  set  out  on  a  second  visit  to  his 
German  dominions,  to  which  he  was  tenderly  at- 
tached ;  but  being  attacked  with  paralysis  by  the 
way,  his  earthly  existence  terminated  at  Osnaburg  on 
the  11th  of  June.  The  intelligence  was,  without  de- 
lay, conveyed  to  Walpole,  Avho  repaired  to  Richmond 
and  communicated  it  to  the  new  King. 

George  II.  was  characterized  by  two  weaknesses, 
which  his  advisers  found  extremely  inconvenient — an 
unprincipled  avarice,  and  an  invincible  predilection, 
for  his  Continental  possessions.     Like  his  father,  he 


2C8  HISTORY    FOR    BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

strove  to  pass  for  a  man  of  spirit  in  gpitc  of  nature, 
and  iie  indulged  in  grave  improprieties  under  the  silly 
idea  that  libertinism  was  a  kingly  quality.  Though 
destitute  of  military  skill,  he  was  not  without  personal 
courage.  He  had  served  as  a  volunteer  under  Marl- 
borough, charged  bravely  at  the  head  of  Hanoverian 
di'agoons  at  Oudenarde,  and  on  one  occasion  boasted, 
with  his  strong  German  accent,  that  though  the  house 
of  Hanover  might  have  produced  as  many  fools  as  any 
other  in  Europe,  it  had  never  produced  a  single  coward 
or  poltroon.  In  aflairs  of  state  he  Avas  entirely  under 
the  influence  of  his  rpieen,  who  perfectly  comprehend- 
ed her  own  position  and  the  expediency  of  Walpolc 
holding  the  reigns  of  power.  That  eminent  minister 
was  possessed  of  singular  intelligence  and  prudence. 
His  extraordinary  vigilance  baffled  every  Jacobite 
plot ;  and  his  love  of  peace  gave  England  a  long  sea- 
son of  repose.  Unfortunately  for  himself,  he  loved 
power  so  much  that  he  would  not  endure  a  rival ; 
rather  than  consent  to  any  partition  of  influence,  he 
successively  drove  Pulteney,  Cartaret,  Townshend, 
and  Chesterfield,  from  the  ministerial  ranks,  and  thus 
created  a  formidable  opposition  distinguished  by  the 
appellation  of"  the  Country  Party."  He  experienced 
its  hostility  in  1732,  on  the  introduction  of  his  Excise 
Bill,  which  excited  so  violent  a  clamor  that  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  the  measure.  Shortly  after, 
Frederick,  prince  of  Wales,  being  estranged  from  his 
father,  threw  his  influence  into  the  ranks  of  opposi' 


FALL   OF    WALPOLE.  269 

lion  ;  and  Walpole  was  compelled,  against  his  deliber- 
ate judgment,  to  enter  into  a  war  with  Spain  to  re- 
taliate the  injuries  sustained  by  the  commerce  of 
British  subjects  in  South  America.  The  war  was  at 
first  popular.  Vernon  destroyed  the  fortifications  of 
Porto  Bello,  and  Anson  distressed  the  enemy  in  the 
South  Seas  ;  but  the  failure  of  the  expedition  against 
Carthagena  brought  the  ministry  into  disgrace,  and 
increased  the  energy  of  their  opponents.  Indeed  the 
latter  began  to  take  liberties  not  tolerated  during  the 
former  reign.  In  1717,  when  William  Shippcn,  with 
his  glove  before  his  mouth,  remarked  in  a  low,  rapid 
tone  of  voice,  that  "the  King's  speech  seemed  rather 
calculated  for  the  meridian  of  Germany  than  of  Great 
Britain,  and  that  the  first  George  was  unacquainted 
with  the  laws  and  constitution  of  England,"  he  was 
hurried  off  to  the  Tower  ;  but  in  1742,  when  William 
Pitt  declaimed  in  a  voice  that  swelled  like  an  organ, 
and  gestures  equal  to  those  of  Garrick,  against  the 
aimual  visits  of  the  second  George  to  Hernhausen,  and 
his  perfidious  partiality  to  the  despicable  Electorate, 
the  old  Duchess  of  Marlborough  left  him  a  handsome 
legacy,  and  the  King  was  under  the  necessity  of  ap- 
pointing him  Paymaster  of  the  Forces. 

In  1741  Walpole  was  driven  from  power,  and 
created  Earl  of  Orford.  He  passed  his  four  remain- 
ing years  in  retirement ;  amused  himself  with  plant- 
ing, took  an  interest  in  the  paintings  wliicli  his  son 
collected,  and  was  laid  at  re.-t  in  the  paiibh  church  at 


270  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Houghton.  A  few  months  later  happened  tlie  last 
daring  and  romantic  attempt  to  wrest  the  British 
crown  from  the  House  of  Hanover. 

After  Walpole's  expulsion  from  power,  and  a  Lrief 
ascendency  enjoyed  by  the  gifted  Cartaret,  the  King 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Henry  Pelham  and  his  brother, 
the  Duke  of  Newcastle.  In  the  year  1743,  a  body  of 
British  and  Hanoverian  troops  were  sent  to  the  Con- 
tinent to  assist  the  Austriaus  against  France,  and  they 
were  successful  in  an  engagement  at  Dcttingen.  On 
that  occasion  the  King,  being  present,  interfered  so 
provokingly  that  Lord  Stair  resigned  his  post  as  com- 
mander. It  was  thereupon  bestowed  upon  the  King's 
second  son,  AYilliam,  duke  of  Cumberland,  who,  hav- 
ing scarcely  emerged  from  boyhood,  and  being  deficient 
in  experience,  sustained  a  defeat  at  Fontenoy.  How- 
ever, he  had  soon  an  opportunity  of  retrieving  his 
laurels  in  a  different  scene. 

The  hapless  Chevalier,  after  flying  from  the  land 
where  his  ancestors  had  exercised  regal  sway,  Avas 
contracted  to  a  Polish  princess,  who,  while  passing 
through  the  Tyrol  on  her  way  to  Rome,  was  seized 
and  conhncd  for  some  time  at  Inspruck.  But,  es- 
caping in  1719,  she  made  her  way,  disguised  as  a 
page,  to  Bologna,  where  she  was  soon  joined  by  her 
husband.  They  had  two  sons :  Charles  Edward, 
whose  romantic  adventures  bards  and  novelists  have 
vied  to  celebrate,  and  Henry,  known  as  Cardmal 
York,  at  whose  death,  in  1807,  closed  the  male  line 


REBELLION    OF   1745.  27* 

of  Charles  1.  The  elder  resided  generally  at  Home 
till  1744,  when  he  left  that  city  with  the  avowed 
intention  of  hunting  a  hoar,  hut  rode  post-haste  to 
Genoa.  He  continued  his  journey  to  Paris,  where, 
after  heiug  amused  by  the  French  Government  with 
vain  promises  of  assistance,  he  resolved  to  throw  him- 
self on  the  loyalty  of  the  Highland  clans,  embarked  in 
a  sixteen-gun  frigate,  and  landed  in  the  Isle  of  Erslca, 
assuming  the  character  of  a  young  Irish  priest.  The 
most  mveterate  Jacobites  were  decidedly  averse  to 
take  pail  in  an  enterprise  which  appeared  as  rash 
and  extravagant  as  any  of  those  that  have  rendered 
the  Knight  of  La  Mancha  immortal.  But  Cameron 
of  Lochiel,  having,  much  against  his  inclination,  con- 
sented to  share  the  Prince's  fate,  the  latter,  on  an 
August  morning,  proceeded  to  Glenfinnan,  where  Lo- 
chiel brought  several  hundreds  of  his  clan.  The 
Marquis  of  TuUibardine  then  unfurled  the  Prince's 
standard ;  the  fiery  cross  was  sent  about ;  the  High- 
land army  increased;  and  Charles  Edward,  after  en- 
tering Perth  and  Dundee,  took  possession  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  established  his  court  in  the  old  regal  halls 
of  Holyrood. 

George  II.  was  at  this  time  on  his  yearly  visit  to 
Hanover ;  but  Sir  John  Cope,  putting  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  royal  forces,  encountered  the  Highland  army 
at  Prestonpans,  where  he  sufiered  a  defeat  so  complete 
that  he  was  forced  to  gallop  ingloriously  from  the 
field,  and  take  refuge  within  the  walls  of  Berwick  ; 


272  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

while  the  Prince,  having  issued  an  address,  inarched 
into  England  by  the  western  frontier,  took  possession 
of  Carlisle,  passed  through  Manchester,  and  arrived 
at  Derby. 

Apprehensions  were  now  seriously  entertained  of  a 
bare-legged  Highland  host  placing  a  Popish  prince  on 
the  throne  of  Great  Britain ;  but  at  this  critical  mo- 
ment the  royal  adventurer  was  providentially  prevailed 
upon  to  retreat  and  conduct  his  dispirited  followers 
into  their  own  country,  when  he  succeeded  in  occupy- 
ing Glasgow  and  achieving  a  victory  over  General 
Hawley  at  Falkirk. 

At  length,  in  April  1746,  the  event  was  brought  to 
a  decisive  issue.  Charles  Edward  had  fixed  his  head- 
quarters at  Inverness,  and  the  Duke  of  Cumberland 
encamped  hard  by.  They  met  on  the  wide  moor  of 
Cullodcn,  where  Cumberland  achieved  a  conclusive 
triumph,  Avhich  he  pursued  with  so  much  cruelly  that 
his  name  was  long  justly  execrated  in  the  glens  and 
momitains  of  the  far  north. 

The  Prince,  seeing  all  was  lost,  fled,  with  a  few 
attendants,  from  the  bloody  heath.  After  many  wan- 
derings, with  the  aid  of  Flora  Macdonald — a  brave 
Highland  damsel — he  made  his  escape  to  France,  un- 
der circumstances  almost  miraculous.  He  is  stated 
to  have  ventured  on  visiting  England  several  linaes 
in  after  years,  and  even  to  have  been  present  at  the 
coronation  of  George  III.  His  unfortunate  adherents 
were  cruelly  dealt  with.     Balmcrino  and  Kilmarnock 


ACCESSION   OF  GEORGE   III.  273 

•were  executed  in  August,  and  Lovat  in  the  following 
year.  Even  as  late  as  1753,  a  brother  of  the  gallant 
Lochiel,  having  rashly  ventured  upon  his  native  soil, 
was  beheaded  at  Tyburn,  with  every  accessory  which 
revenge  could  suggest  to  render  bloodshed  unpopular. 

Internal  peace  having  been  restored,  the  last  years 
of  George  the  Second's  reign  were  replete  with  events 
grateful  to  the  national  pride.  William  Pitt,  after- 
ward Earl  of  Chatham,  becoming  War-minister,  took 
means  to  redeem  the  humiliation  which  had  been  felt 
when  Minorca  was  taken  from  the  English,  and  Ad- 
miral Byng  retired  before  the  French  flag;  and  he 
turned  a  contest  thus  disastrously  begun  into  one  of 
the  most  glorious  ever  entered  upon.  In  the  midst  of 
it  the  King  departed  this  life,  and  his  eldest  son  hav- 
ing died  in  1751,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson, 

George  III.,  as  a  native  of  England,  came  to  the 
throne  in  1760,  with  advantages  infinitely  superior  to 
those  enjoyed  by  his  immediate  predecessors.  The 
Jacobites  had  ceased  to  make  their  influence  felt,  and 
those  whose  abilities  had  lent  weight  to  the  party, 
Bolingbroke,  Wyndham,  and  Shippen,  had  been  long 
gathered  to  their  fathers. 

A  peace  with  France  and  Spain  was  concluded  by 
a  ministry  presided  over  by  the  Earl  of  Bute,  whoso 
sudden  elevation  raised  a  violent  prejudice  and  loudly- 
expressed  clamor  against  Scotland,  the  country  of 
which  he  was  a  native.  He  soon  resigned ;  and  his 
successor,  George  Grenville,  passed  the  American 
S 


274  HISTORY    FOR    BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

Stamp  Act,  which  caused  such  serious  discontent  in 
the  Transatlantic  possessions  of  the  British  crown  that 
the  colonists  took  up  arras,  and,  under  the  auspices  of 
"Washington,  commenced  that  struggle  which,  after  in- 
volving England  in  hostilities  with  France,  termin- 
ated in  American  independence  being  formally  re- 
cognized in  a  treaty,  by  which  England  became  more 
than  ever  absolute  mistress  of  the  sea. 

A  bill  passed  in  1780,  for  the  relief  of  Roman 
CathoHcs,  was  productive  in  London  and  Soutbwark 
of  the  most  daring  tumults,  encouraged  by  the  weak 
and  eccentric  Lord  George  Gordon,  who  afterward 
became  a  proselyte  to  Judaism.  The  rioters,  shout- 
ing the  "  No  Popery"  cry,  did  enormous  mischief,  and 
after  burning  the  residence  of  the  illustrious  Lord 
Mansfield  were  suppressed  by  the  military. 

Li  1783,  William  Pitt,  second  son  of  the  great  Earl 
of  Chatham,  became  first  Minister  of  the  Crown  at 
the  early  age  of  twenty-five,  and  devoted  his  energies 
to  the  negotiation  of  commercial  treaties  and  the  res- 
toration of  the  national  finances.  In  the  course  of 
his  administration,  Burke,  one  of  the  greatest  of  states- 
men  and  orators,  impeached  Warren  Hastings,  in 
1787,  for  misdemeanors  in  the  government  of  India. 
Soon  after  the  French  Revolution  breaking  out,  the 
house  of  Bourbon  fell  ;  and  great  was  the  fall  thereof. 
Louis  XVI.  was  brought  to  trial  and  beheaded  ;  the 
French  Convention  declared  war  against  England,  and 
a  long,  arduous  struggle  was  commenced 


WAR  WITH  FRANCE.  275 

Encouraged  by  aid  from  France,  the  Irish,  in  1798, 
raised  a  rebellion,  which  led  to  the  legislative  union, 
with  much  difficulty  accomplished  in  1800.  Having 
efiected  this  desirable  object,  Pitt  retired  for  a  while 
from  the  helm  of  affairs,  leaving  the  Addington  min- 
istry to  conclude  a  peace  with  France,  which  lasted 
little  more  than  tAvelve  months. 

In  May,  1804,  Pitt  again  undertook  the  duties  of 
Prime  Minister  of  England,  and  Bonaparte  was  pro- 
claimed Emperor  of  the  French.  Next  year,  Nelson, 
already  renowned  as  the  hero  of  the  Nile,  defeated  the 
united  fleets  of  France  and  Spain  at  Trafalgar  ;  the 
great  admiral  himself  falling  in  the  engagement,  and 
Pitt  only  living  to  hear  the  news.  Thereupon  Fox 
came  into  office,  and  endeavored  to  negotiate  peace 
with  France ;  but  the  matter  was  broken  off  at  his 
death,  and  Bonaparte  declared  the  British  Isles  in  a 
state  of  blockade. 

For  a  time  the  French  were  signally  successful. 
But  in  1809,  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  who  had  already 
won  celebrity  in  the  East,  at  Copenhagen,  and  at 
Vimiera,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  English  army. 
Arriving  at  Lisbon,  he  passed  the  Douro,  forced  Soult 
to  retreat  across  the  mountains,  and  won  the  battles 
of  Talavera  and  Busaco.  In  1812  Ciudad  Rodrigo 
and  Badajos  were  taken  by  storm ;  and  in  the  same 
year  the  battle  of  Salamanca  was  fought,  and  Lord 
Wellington  entered  Madrid  in  triumph. 

Next  year,  following  Soult,  he  entered  France,  in- 


276  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

vested  Bayonne,  and  was  victorious  at  Orthes  and 
Toulouse.  Paris  capitulated,  and  Bonaparte  being 
deposed  was  sent  to  Elba  ;  while  the  Allied  Sovereigns 
were  entertained  in  England. 

Escaping  from  Elba,  Bonaparte  took  the  field,  and 
was  finally  defeated  on  the  plains  of  Waterloo. 

The  old  King,  who  had  sustained  an  attack  of 
derangement  in  1788,  was  similarly  afflicted  in  1810, 
and  the  royal  functions  were  intrusted  to  his  son, 
George,  prince  of  Wales,  who  thereupon  became 
Prince  Regent.  His  majesty  survived  till  1820.  He 
expired  on  the  28th  January,  and  his  bones  were 
interred  amidst  ancestral  dust  in  the  royal  vault  at 
Windsor. 

George  IV.  had  attained  the  age  of  fifty-eight,  and 
earned  a  reputation,  in  many  respects  the  reverse  of 
enviable,  before  he  was  called  upon  to  reign.  He 
had,  after  a  youthful  career  of  exhausting  dissipation 
and  extravagant  expenditure,  consented  to  receive  as 
his  consort  Caroline,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick. By  that  lady  he  had  a  daughter,  the  Princess 
Chai'lotte,  wlio  died  before  he  came  to  the  throne  ; 
and  when  the  melancholy  event  occurred,  the  Princess 
of  Wales  left  England.  But  on  her  husband's  acces- 
sion she  returned,  and  insisted  on  being  crowned ; 
whereupon  a  Bill  of  Pains  and  Penalties  against  her 
majesty  was  presented  to  the  House  of  Peers  by  the 
Earl  of  Liverpool,  then  at  the  head  of  the  administra- 
tion.    After  being  read  a  second  time  it  was  aban- 


REIGN    OF   GEORGE   IV.  277 

doned,  and  London  was,  in  consequence,  illuminated 
for  two  nights ;  but  ere  long  the  unhappy  Glueen 
had  gone  where  the  weary  are  at  rest. 

George  IV.  manifested  no  inclination  to  emulate  his 
sire's  virtues.  His  chief  ambition  was  to  be  the  finest 
gentleman  of  Europe,  and  he  succeeded  to  some  ex- 
tent m  this  aspiration.  Byron  remarked,  there  M^as 
fascination  in  his  very  bow ;  and  Sir  Walter  Scott 
observed,  that  when  presiding  at  the  coronation  ban- 
quet, amidst  the  long  line  of  nobles,  he  looked  every 
inch  a  king.  Such  being  the  case,  there  was  sound 
policy  in  commencing  his  reign  by  visiting  different 
parts  of  his  dominions  ;  and  accordingly,  in  the  autumn 
of  1821,  he  went  to  Ireland,  where  he  was  received 
with  every  appearance  of  loyal  enthusiasm.  H«j  next 
proceeded  to  Hanover,  and  subsequently  to  Edinburgh, 
where  he  received  such  a  flattering  welcome  from  his 
Scottish  subjects,  that  he  emphatically  pronounced 
them  a  nation  of  gentlemen. 

In  1827,  Lord  Liverpool's  infirmities  having  in- 
capacitated him  for  longer  performing  the  functions  of 
Premier,  George  Canning,  the  most  brilliant  orator  of 
his  day,  was  worthily  elevated  to  power  ;  but  his  tenure 
of  office  was  brief,  being  cut  oft^  in  the  zenith  of  his 
reputation,  and  in  full  possession  of  popularity.  In 
the  same  year  was  fought  the  battle  of  Navarino,  in 
which  the  Turkish  and  Egyptian  fleets  were  almost 
destroyed  by  the  British,  French,  and  Russians,  under 
Admiral  Codrington. 


278  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— ENGLAND. 

At  the  beginning  of  1828,  the  necessity  for  a  strong 
hand  holding  the  reins  of  government  being  evident, 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  assumed  the  post  of  Prime 
Minister,  and  during  his  administration  was  carried 
through  Parliament  the  measure  for  the  Emancipation 
of  Roman  Catholics,  debated  lor  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, and  to  which  his  majesty  gave  a  hesitating  as- 
sent. 

At  the  opening  of  1830  the  King's  health  broke 
down  ;  his  case  was  soon  perceived  to  be  hopeless ;  and 
he  expired  at  Windsor  on  the  26th  June. 

His  brother,  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  who  had  been 
educated  to  the  naval  profession  and  seen  service, 
became  King,  with  the  title  of  William  IV.,  and  was 
crowned  in  September,  1831. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington,  less  successful  in  the 
cabinet  than  the  field,  had  already  divested  himself 
of  the  ministerial  functions.  His  successor  was  Earl 
Grey,  who  had  sat  in  the  House  of  Commons  as  early 
as  1785,  attached  himself  to  Fox,  incurred  a  castiga- 
tion  from  Pitt,  appeared  as  a  manager  at  the  memora- 
ble trial  of  Hastings,  and  succeeded  his  great  master 
in  1806,  as  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs.  The  minis- 
try of  the  veteran  statesman  carried  through  Parliament 
the  Reform  Bill — a  measure,  which,  whatever  its 
merits  or  demerits,  was  oire  passed  with  the  popular 
sanction.  The  slave-trade  having  been  abolished  in 
1806,  an  act  was  now  passed  for  the  abolition  of  slav* 
ery  in  the  British  Colonies. 


CONCLUSION.  279 

King  William  died  on  the  20th  June,  1837,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two,  and  was  succeeded  on  the 
throne  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  by  Her  Most 
Gracious  Majesty  Glueen  Victoria,  who  was  crowned 
on  the  28th  June,  1838,  within  that  venerable  ab- 
bey, which  has  so  often  witnessed  the  august  cere- 
mony as  to  appear  almost  a  part  of  the  British  Con- 
stitution. 

Since  that  date,  starthng  and  violent  changes  have 
occurred  in  Continental  countries.  Dynasties  have 
been  uprooted,  and  states  convulsed.  Dethroned  kings 
have  fled  from  their  exasperated  subjects,  and  rebel 
subjects  from  their  infuriated  rulers,  to  take  safety 
on  our  peaceful  shores.  But  in  England,  Order  and 
Freedom  have  walked  hand-in-hand  ;  her  immemorial 
institutions — cautiously  reformed  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  each  succeeding  generation — have  maintain- 
ed their  ancient  reputation,  and  her  people — proud, 
prudent,  and  pacific,  yet  prompt  to  spend  both  blood 
and  treasure  in  a  just  and  righteous  cause — have  not 
forgotten  "  their  precedence  of  teaching  the  nationjs 
bow  to  live." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


HISTORY    OF    SPAIN. 


About  the  opening  of  the  fifth  century,  when 
Alaric,  the  terrible  king  of  the  Visigoths,  had  sacked 
and  burned  the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills,  his  brother, 
Adolph,  crossing  the  Pyrenees,  penetrated  into  Spain, 
and  founded,  in  that  secluded  province  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  a  kingdom,  of  which  the  capital  was  Toledo 
— situated  on  a  steep  rock,  that  was  washed  on  three 
sides  by  the  waters  of  the  Tagus. 

The  Gothic  monarchy,  thus  established,  lasted  for 
three  centuries,  when  Roderick,  who  wore  the  crown 
of  Spain,  ravished  the  daughter  of  a  Count  named 
Julian,  and  thus  created  an  implacable  foe.  Boiling 
with  resentment,  and  panting  for  vengeance,  Count 
Julian  crossed  to  Barbary,  and  invoked  the  aid  of  the 
adventurous  Moors  ;  and  forthwith  the  sound  of  Moor- 
ish horns,  and  the  neighing  of  war-steeds,  and  the 
waving  of  the  Crescent,  announced  that  a  Saracenic 
host  had  invaded  the  sunny  fields  of  Spain. 

King  Roderick  encountered  the  Moors  in  several  bat- 
tles ;  and  at  length,  in  the  summer  of  711,  a  decisive 
conflict  took  place    at  Xeres.     There  the  King  and 


THE   MOORISH   CONQUEST.  281 

the  flower  of  his  chivalry  perished  ;  and  the  citiea 
quietly  yielding  to  the  turbaned  victors,  a  splendid 
^[oorish  monarchy  was  instituted  under  princes  of  the 
^ne  of  Omeyades.  They  exercised  a  temporal  as  well 
as  spiritual  authority,  selected  Cordova  as  their  seat 
of  empire,  and  adorned  that  city  with  magnificent 
palaces,  colleges,  libraries,  hospitals,  mosques,  bridges, 
and  fountains. 

The  vanquished  Spaniards,  so  far  from  being  harsh- 
ly treated,  enjoyed  so  much  civil  and  religious  free- 
dom, that  many  remained  in  their  native  regions ; 
and  the  Spanish  women,  with  the  usual  partiality  of 
the  gentler  sex  for  foreigners,  freely  availed  themselves 
of  the  invitation  to  intermarry  with  the  conquerors. 
Such  of  the  proud  barons,  indeed,  as  disdained  to  sub- 
mit, escaped  to  neighboring  countries  ;  while  others, 
departing  from  Andalusia,  with  its  sunny  skies  and 
fair  landscapes,  moved  northward,  and  formed  them- 
selves into  petty  states,  at  such  mortal  enmity  with 
each  other,  and  so  exposed  to  the  predatory  incursions 
of  the  Arab  cavalry,  that  the  chieftahis  were  under 
the  necessity  of  keeping  their  followers  in  harness 
night  and  day. 

Kotwithstanding  their  internal  feuds,  the  eyes  of 
the  Spaniards  were  perpetually  turned,  with  the  long- 
ing of  exiles,  toward  the  land  of  corn  and  wine,  ol' 
which  they  had  been  dispossessed  :  and  they  contem- 
plated, with  fierce  indignation,  the  Crescent  glittering 
on  mosques  under  which  their  sires  had  worshiped 


282  HISTORY  FOR   ROYS.— SPAIN. 

the  Christian's  God.  Invoking  as  their  patron  St. 
James,  on  his  white  steed,  bearing  the  banner  of  the 
Cross,  they  deemed  themselves  the  champions  at  once 
of  their  country  and  Christendom ;  and  the  Spanish 
nobles,  thus  trained  from  infancy  to  serve  against  the 
Moors,  were  continually  advancing  southward,  and  in 
the  stern  school  of  adversity  regained  among  the 
tnountains  of  Gallicia  so  much  of  their  ancestral  val- 
or as  to  render  them  formidable  foes. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass,  that  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury the  Cordovan  empire  had  been  reduced  to  the 
little  province  of  Granada,  in  the  midst  of  which 
fetood  the  beautiful  city  of  that  name,  on  one  of 
whose  hills  rose  the  far-famed  Aiharabra  ;  while  the 
kingdom  of  Castile  was  not  only  receiving  the  hom- 
age of  other  states,  but  even  that  of  the  Moorish 
King,  who  pledged  himself  to  pay  an  annual  rent,  to 
serve  in  war  with  a  certain  number  of  knights,  and 
to  attend  the  Cortes,  or  legislative  assembly,  when 
summoned. 

A  hundred  years  later,  Castile  was  the  scene  of 
fierce  civil  war.  Pedro,  surnaraed  the  Cruel,  had 
rendered  himself  unpopular  by  the  severity  with 
which  he  treated  his  enemies ;  and  his  illegitimate 
brother,  Henry  of  Trastamare,  conceived  the  idea  of 
seizing  the  throne.  With  this  view  he  applied  to 
Charles  V.  of  France,  who  sent  to  his  aid  several 
companies  of  Free  Lances,  commanded  by  Bertrand 
Du  Guesclin,  one  of  the  most  valiant  warriors  of  the 


FRATRICIDAL   WAR.  283 

age.  These  terrible  adventurers,  after  passing  Avig- 
non, and  compelling  the  Pope  to  bestow  upon  them 
gold  and  his  blessing,  entered  Spain.  Pedro  disband- 
ed his  troops  and  sought  shelter  in  Gascony,  at  the 
court  of  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  by  whom  he  was 
honorably  received  ;  while  his  rival  was  proclaimed 
King  in  his  stead.  However,  the  Prince  of  Wales 
took  up  arms  in  Pedro's  behalf,  and  marched  against 
Pu  Guesclin,  who  was  defeated  and  made  prisoner  in 
the  battle  of  Navaretto,  which  restored  Pedro  to  his 
throne.  Henry  thereupon  fled  into  France,  but  on  the 
Black  Prince's  return  to  England  he  was  once  more 
seated  on  the  throne  by  the  hand  of  Du  Guesclin ; 
and  Pedro,  being  defeated  near  Montia,  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  carried  into  the  tent  of  a  French 
knight.  Henry,  learning  where  the  captive  was, 
hurried  tliither ;  and  the  brothers  sprang  upon  each 
other  with  deadly  intent.  A  violent  struggle  ensued, 
and  Pedro  was  gaining  the  advantage,  when  one  of 
Henry's  followers  interfering,  the  latter  got  the  upper 
hand,  and  stabbed  his  unfortunate  brother  to  the 
heart.  Pedro's  head  was  thereupon  cut  ofi^;  but  his 
remains  were  subsequently  interred  at  Seville  with 
regal  honors  by  his  daughter,  Constance,  the  wife  of 
John  of  Gaunt,  duke  of  Lancaster. 

Henry  of  Trastamare  transmitted  the  crown  of  Cas- 
tile to  his  descendants,  whose  disputed  title  was  de- 
cidedly favorable  to  public  liberty,  and  rendered  them 
deferential  to  popular  opinion,  till  the  reign  of  Henry 


284  HISTORY    FOR    BOYS.— SPAIN. 

IV.,  who  ascended  the  Castilian  throne  with  the 
promise  of  a  crusade  against  the  Moors  of  Granada. 
The  preparations  made  by  him  for  that  purpose  were 
attended  Ly  results  so  inadequate,  that  he  fell  into 
contempt  with  friends  and  foes.  Having  divorced  his 
first  wife,  Blanche  of  Aragon,  he  espoused  Joanna, 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Portugal.  The  conduct  of 
the  latter  princess  was  so  far  from  discreet,  that  it 
gave  occasion  for  grave  scandal,  and  she  was  accused 
of  a  too  close  intimacy  with  Beltran  de  la  Cueva,  a 
handsome  courtier ;  while  Henry  openly  doted  on  a 
fascinating  maid  of  honor,  who  had  attended  his 
Q,ueen  to  the  Castilian  court.  Thus  it  happened, 
that  when  he  required  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  be 
sworn  to  his  daughter  Joanna  it  was  objected  to,  on 
the  suspicion  of  her  being  illegitimate,  and  his  sub- 
jects rebelled  with  the  object  of  placing  his  brother 
Alphonso  on  the  throne 

In  the  year  1465,  on  a  plain  outside  the  walls  of 
Avila,  a  platform  was  erected ;  and  thereon  was 
placed,  in  royal  robes,  an  effigy  of  Henry,  with  the 
crown  on  his  head,  the  sceptre  in  his  hand,  and  the 
sword  of  justice  by  his  side.  A  sentence  of  deposition 
was  pronounced  :  the  Archbishop  of  Toledo  tore  ofi:" 
the  crown ;  one  Count  snatched  away  the  sword ; 
another  removed  the  sceptre  ;  a  third  tumbled  the 
figure  headlong  on  the  ground ;  and  proclamation 
was  made  that  Don  Alphonso  was  King  of  Castile 
and  Leon.     But  Alphonso  died  in  1468  ;  and  Henry, 


FERDINAND   AND    ISABELLA.  2s5 

though  reduced  to  the  depths  of  despau-,  continued  to 
reign  till  his  decease  in  1474. 

His  daughter  Joanna  not  being  considered  worthy 
of  occupying  the  throne,  his  sister  Isabella  was  recog- 
nized as  heir  to  the  deceased  sovereign.  The  young 
Glueen,  one  of  the  most  interesting  characters  in  his- 
tory, was  highly  endowed  both  in  mind  and  person. 
Intelligence  beamed  in  her  mild  blue  eye,  and  was 
displayed  in  a  manner  which,  though  modest,  was 
particularly  gracious  and  dignified.  In  her  nineteenth 
year  she  had  been  united  to  Ferdinand,  the  hereditary 
sovereign  of  Aragon,  in  conjunction  with  whom  she 
now  began  to  reign  over  the  united  kingdoms.  They 
were  not,  however,  undisturbed ;  for  Alphonso,  king 
of  Portugal,  whose  victories  over  the  Barbary  Moors 
had  gained  for  him  the  cognomen  of  "  the  African," 
having  been  affianced  to  the  princess  Joanna,  invaded 
Castile  to  vindicate  her  claim  to  the  crown.  Ferdi- 
nand, by  a  herald,  challenged  the  invader  to  fight 
with  his  whole  army  or  by  single  combat,  and  the 
hostile  ranks  encountered.  Castilian  valor  prevailed  ; 
the  standard  of  Portugal  was  torn  to  shreds  ;  the  King 
escaped  to  a  fortified  castle,  and  soon  after  he  withdrew 
with  his  youthful  bride  into  Portugal ;  but  the  Pope 
having  forbidden  their  marriage,  the  hapless  princess 
sought  consolation  in  a  convent. 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  being  now  secure,  intro- 
duced several  important  reforms  for  the  observance 
of  law,  the  administration  of  justice,  and  the  regula- 


286  fliSTORY   FOR    BOYS.— SPAIN. 

tion  of  trade.  The  Moorish  kmgdom  of  Granada  waa 
50  tempting  a  prize,  that  they  determined  on  annexing 
it  to  their  dominions.  Hitherto  the  two  nations,  in 
spite  of  their  natural  enmity,  had  enjoyed  much,  and 
not  unimportant,  friendly  intercourse.  The  Spaniards 
had  acquired  something  of  Arabian  gravity  of  demean* 
or,  magnificence  of  air,  and  reserve  in  conversation, 
from  communicating  with  their  Saracenic  neighbors. 
As  late  as  14G3  Henry  had  held  a  personal  interview 
with  the  King  of  Granada,  under  a  splendid  pavilion 
erected  in  the  vcga,  at  the  foot  of  the  Alhambra,  and 
after  an  exchange  of  presents,  the  Spanish  sovereign 
had  been  escorted  to  his  frontiers  by  Moorish  cavaliers  ; 
but  in  1476,  when  the  annual  tribute  was  demanded, 
the  Moorish  king  proudly  replied,  that  the  mints  of 
Granada  coined  gold  no  longer,  but  steel ;  and  he 
soon  after  attacked  and  carried  off' the  population  of 
the  town  of  Zahara.  At  this  crisis  the  high-spirited 
Moor  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  the 
weak  and  unfortunate  Boabdil.  Thereupon  Ferdi- 
nand, entering  Granada  with  the  whole  force  of  Ar- 
ragon  and  Castile,  besieged  the  city  for  eight  months. 
The  Moorish  King  then  came  to  the  gates,  and  pre- 
senting the  keys  on  a  cushion  to  Ferdinand  and  Isa- 
bella, implored  their  protection.  The  valley  of  Pior- 
chena  was  assigned  him  as  a  residence  ;  but  being 
discontented  with  his  lot,  he  after  a  little  delay  went 
over  to  Barbary.  On  Friday,  the  Gth  of  January, 
1492,  Ferdinand  and  his  Q,ueen  made  tlieir  entrance 


COLUMBUS 


CONQUEST  OF   GRANADA.  289 

into  Granada  ;  the  Moslem  crescents  were  plucked 
from  the  minarets  of  the  Alhambra,  and  the  arms  of 
Castile  and  Aragon  were  displayed  in  their  stead. 

The  conquest  of  Granada  made  Ferdinand  mastel 
cf  the  fairest  province  in  the  Peninsula  ;  and,  assum- 
ing the  title  of  King  of  Spain,  he  recovered  ficm 
France  the  districts  of  which  Louis  the  Crafty  ha(f 
taken  possession.  He  then  established  the  Court  of 
Inquisition,  which  consigned  thousands  of  his  subjects 
to  the  flames  for  heresy,  and  was  put  in  force  against 
the  Jews,  who  fled  by  thousands,  with  their  industry 
and  intelligence,  to  the  other  states  of  Europe.  For 
these  services,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were  rewarded 
by  the  Pope  with  the  title  of  Catholic  Majesties. 

About  this  time  Christopher  Columbus  received 
from  the  court  of  Spain  the  encouragement  which 
led  to  discoveries  so  important.  A  native  of  Genoa, 
he  had  unsuccessfully  applied  to  the  Government  of 
that  state  for  aid  in  his  daring  project  of  sailing  to 
the  East  Indies  by  the  west,  and  then  made  proposals 
to  the  Kings  of  England  and  Portugal,  which  were 
rejected.  In  1486  he  came  to  urge  his  schemes  upon 
the  sovereigns  of  Spain  ;  but  after  six  years  of  fruit- 
less entreaty,  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  country, 
when  Isabella,  at  the  instance  of  her  confessor,  sum- 
moned the  suitor  to  her  presence.  At  this  interview, 
the  solemn  aspect,  grave  air,  and  dignified  appearance 
of  Columbus,  made  so  favorable  an  impression  on  the 
Glueen,  that  she  ordered  a  fleet  of  three  vessels  to  be 


290  HISTORY   FOR    BOYS.— SPAIN. 

fitted  out  at  Palos.  At  that  port,  with  a  hundred 
and  twenty  companions,  Cokimbus  embarked  on  the 
3d  of  August,  1492;  and  on  the  12th  of  October, 
after  thirty  days'  sail  from  Canary,  came  in  sight  of 
land,  which  proved  to  be  one  of  the  Bahama  Islands. 
When  the  sun  rose,  the  adventurers,  manning  their 
boats,  rowed  ashore,  playing  martial  music,  and  dis- 
playing the  royal  standard.  Columbus,  in  a  scarlet 
dress,  and  bearing  a  naked  sword,  set  his  foot  on  the 
soil  of  the  new  world,  and  after  taking  possession  of 
the  island  on  behalf  of  the  Castilian  sovereigns,  gave 
it  the  name  of  San  Salvador.  The  natives  gazed  on 
in  silent  surprise,  and  in  the  simplicity  of  their  hearts 
believed  the  Spaniards  to  be  preternatural  beings. 

Pursuing  his  career  of  discovery,  Columbus  took 
possession  of  Cuba  and  St.  Domingo,  and  then  re- 
turned in  triumph  to  Spain.  At  Barcelona  he  was 
received  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  with  the  utmost 
favor,  and  desired  to  sit  covered,  like  a  grandee  of  the 
realm.  A  fleet  of  seventeen  ships  was  fitted  out,  and 
he  undertook  a  second  voyage,  which  ended  in  disap- 
pointment ;  but  during  a  third,  on  the  1st  of  August, 
1498,  he  discovered  the  continent  of  America,  and 
carried  six  of  the  natives  to  St.  Domingo,  as  evidence 
of  his  success.  But  the  great  navigator  was  doomed 
to  humiliating  reverses  :  his  enemies  prevailed  at  Mad- 
rid ;  he  was  displaced  from  his  offices,  and  sent  home 
in  chains.  Being  set  at  liberty  on  arrival,  he  under- 
took a  fourth  expedition,  from  which,  after  being  ship- 


DISCOVERIES    BY   COLUMBUS.  291 

wrecked  on  the  island  of  Jamaica,  he  arrived  in  Spain 
in  1505  ;  but  Isabella  having  meantime  died,  he  was 
allow^ed  by  Ferdinand  to  drag  out  his  career  in  obscu- 
rity at  Valladolid. 

Ferdinand,  after  taking  an  important  part  in  the 
Italian  wars,  where  his  general,  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova, 
the  Great  Captain,  signalized  his  military  skill  against 
the  French,  died  in  151G,  and  an  Austrian  prince  as- 
cended the  Spanish  throne. 

It  has  been  already  stated  that  Mary  of  Burgundy, 
daughter  and  heiress  of  that  fiery  Duke  who  fell  fight- 
ing against  the  Swiss,  became  wife  of  Maximilian, 
afterward  Emperor  of  Germany.  In  the  month  of 
February,  1482,  that  noble  lady  was  holding  her 
court  in  the  city  of  Bruges,  in  Flanders,  then  a  great 
commercial  emporium  of  Europe  ;  and,  mounting  her 
palfrey  one  day,  she  rode  forth,  with  a  small  retinue, 
to  fly  her  hawks  at  the  herons,  which  abounded  in 
the  vicinity.  While  pursuing  the  sport  and  leaping 
a  fence,  the  girths  of  her  saddle  burst,  and  she  was 
thrown  violently  against  a  tree.  Dying  from  the 
effects  of  the  accident,  Mary  left  a  son,  named  Philip, 
who  espoused  Ferdinand's  daughter,  Jane  the  Fcohsh, 
and  had  a  son  Charles,  born  at  Ghent  in  1500.  On 
the  demise  of  Isabella,  Jane,  as  her  daughter,  became' 
Q,ueen  of  Castile  ;  but  immediately  after,  the  sudden 
death  of  Philip  bereft  his  young  widow  of  her  reason. 
Her  case  was  hopeless  ;  and  on  Ferdinand's  death, 
young  Charles  of  Austria  was  associated  with  his  in- 


292  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

sane  mother  on  the  Spanish  throne,  while  the  aged 
Cardinal  Ximenes,  a  consummate  statesman,  grasped 
the  reins  of  government  with  vigor  and  dexterity. 
Three  years  later,  on  the  death  of  his  grandfather, 
Maximihan,  the  ambitious  King  of  Spain,  was  elected 
Emperor  of  Germany  ;  and  thus  becoming  the  most 
powerful  monarch  in  Europe,  he  commenced  that  long 
and  arduous  struggle  with  Francis  I.  which  has  been 
previously  sketched. 

At  the  time  when  Charles  received  the  imperial 
crown  there  was  residing  on  the  island  of  Cuba  a 
Spaniard,  named  Hernandez  Cortez,  the  scion  of  an 
ancient  and  honorable  family.  He  had  left  the  moth- 
er country  at  nineteen,  become  proprietor  of  a  flourish- 
ing plantation,  married  a  young  woman  of  beauty  and 
excellence,  and  acquired  high  favor  with  Velasquez, 
governor  of  the  colony.  Yet,  though  apparently  des- 
tined to  a  prosperous  and  peaceful  career,  so  adven- 
turous was  the  spirit  of  Cortez,  that  he  sought  and 
obtained  the  command  of  a  squadron  which  the  gov- 
ernor was  fitting  out  for  a  voyage  of  discovery  to  the 
American  continent.  Dreading  the  bold  and  ambi- 
tious nature  of  Cortez,  the  governor  recalled  this  prom- 
ise, and  appointed  another  as  captain  ;  but  Cortez  got 
under  way  in  the  night,  with  the  ships  half-stored  and 
equipped,  and  sailed  from  Cuba,  never  more  to  return. 
Arriving  in  the  river  Tabasco,  he  landed  in  spite  of  a 
desperate  resistance,  made  the  natives  swear  allegiance 
to  the  King  of  Spain,  caused  mass  to  be  celebrated  in 


CONQUEST   OF   MEXICO   AND   PERU.         293 

the  principal  temples,  formed  an  alliance  with  the 
Tlascalans,  a  warlike  Indian  tribe,  and  rolled  the  tide 
of  conquest  toward  the  capital  of  Mexico. 

Montezuma,  the  Mexican  Emperor,  received  the 
strangers  with  veneration,  swore  fealty  to  Spain, 
placed  himself  in  the  custody  of  Cortez,  and  assigned 
a  temple  as  a  Christian  place  of  worship.  This  last 
concession  was  too  much  for  his  heathen  subjects,  who, 
instigated  by  their  priests,  declared  that  the  Spaniards 
must  perish  on  the  altars  they  had  violated.  Cortez 
was  preparing  for  a  fierce  struggle,  when  informed 
that  there  had  anchored  off  the  coast  a  fleet,  com- 
manded by  Narvaez,  a  brave  officer,  commissioned  by 
the  Governor  of  Cuba  to  supersede  him.  AM^are  that 
his  only  chance  lay  in  a  sudden  stroke,  Cortez,  with 
seventy  picked  men,  set  out  for  the  camp  of  Narvaez, 
and  after  arresting  his  rival  in  a  dark  night,  allured 
the  soldiers  to  his  standard,  and  returned  to  the  capi- 
tal. There  the  fury  of  the  Mexicans  had  become  so 
great,  that  Montezuma  iu  vain  attempted  to  allay  the 
storm  ;  and  mortified  at  his  loss  of  authority,  the  Em- 
peror expired,  while  the  streets  were  thronged  with 
countless  multitudes,  who  for  successive  days  besieged 
the  palace  where  the  Spaniards  were  lodged. 

In  this  terrible  situation,  Cortez  resolved  to  cut  his 
way  to  the  territory  of  his  Tlascalan  allies  ;  and  on  a 
July  night,  after  hearing  mass,  he  led  his  followers 
from  their  quarters  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  After  a 
bloody  fight  on  the  causeway  he  effected  an  escape, 


294  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

and  reached  the  open  countrj' ;  but  there  his  little 
army  was  suddenly  attacked  by  an  overwhelming 
force.  The  position  of  the  Spaniards  seemed  despe- 
rate, when  Cortez,  ever  cool  and  courageous,  suddenly, 
penetrated  to  where  the  enemy's  banner  was  displayed, 
killed  with  his  own  hand  the  Mexican  general,  and 
mstantly  changed  the  fortune  of  the  day.  Resting 
from  his  fatigues  till  the  autumn,  he  returned  to  the 
capital,  where  Gautemozin  now  reigned  as  Emperor, 
and  commenced  warlike  operations.  But  in  May, 
1521,  Cortez,  hopeless  of  otherwise  accomplishing  his 
object,  took  the  terrible  resolution  of  destroying  every 
house  as  he  advanced.  Burning  palaces  and  temples, 
he  gradually  made  his  way  into  the  market-place,  and 
then  reluctantly  gave  orders  for  a  general  assault. 
The  battle,  which  lasted  for  two  days,  was  decisive  : 
the  youthful  Emperor,  being  taken  in  a  canoe,  %vas 
executed  :  and  the  independence  of  Mexico  was  extin- 
guished. 

Soon  after  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  Francis  Pizarro, 
landing  in  Peru  with  a  formidable  force,  subdued  that 
large,  powerful,  and  flourishing  empire,  compelled  the 
Peruvians  to  work  the  mines  for  their  advantage,  and 
added  the  conquered  territory  to  the  possessions  of  the 
Spanish  crown. 

While  his  gallant  subjects,  stimulated  by  the  desire 
of  wealth,  were  winning  for  Charles  an  empire  on 
which  the  sun  never  set,  war  was  carried  on  in  Europe  ; 
and  his  great  rival,  Francis,  taken  at  Pavia,  Avas  lying 


IGNATIUS    LOYOLA.  205 

at  liis  mercy  in  Madrid.  But  though  the  might  of  the 
Emperor  overshadowed  the  princes  of  Europe,  the 
Spaniards,  regarding  him  as  a  stranger  and  foreigner, 
revolted  in  defense  of  their  pohtical  rights :  the  civil 
wars  of  the  ComniU7ieros  were  the  consequence  ;  and 
Charles,  having  excluded  the  grandees  from  the  repre- 
sentation, succeeded  in  withering  by  his  despotism  the 
free  spirit  that  had  long  animated  the  ancient  institu- 
tions of  Castile  and  Aragon. 

While  the  religious  reformation  was  agitating  the 
other  states  of  Europe,  the  Spanish  nation  remained 
unmoved  hy  the  shock,  and  out  of  it  came  Ignatius 
Loyola,  destined  not  only  to  rescue  the  imperiled 
Papacy,  but  to  breathe  new  life  into  the  expiring 
system  by  which  Rome  had  for  centuries  held  the 
human  intellect  in  sacerdotal  bondage. 

When  King  Francis  began  his  wars  with  the  Em- 
peror, by  sending  an  army  to  recover  the  little  kingdom 
of  Navarre  for  the  family  of  D'Albret,  and  when  the 
French  General  laid  siege  to  the  town  of  Pampeluna, 
among  the  Spanish  garrison  was  a  gallant  knight, 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  who  had  been  born  in  the 
Castle  of  Loyola,  and  educated  at  the  court  of  Ferdi- 
nand. His  person  was  handsome,  his  heart  owned 
the  might  of  beauty's  spell,  and  his  soul  glowed  with 
the  fire  of  chivalry  and  ambition.  When  others  talked 
of  capitulating,  he  treated  the  idea  with  disdain,  and 
mounting  the  ramparts  in  a  suit  of  glittering  mail,  re- 
pelled the  assailants.     A  ball  striking  the  wall  where 


296  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

he  stood,  broke  his  left  leg ;  and  as  he  fell  senseless, 
the  Spaniards  surrendered.  But  the  French,  with  a 
generous  appreciation  of  the  wounded  knight's  valor, 
bore  him  to  the  Castle  of  Loyola,  where,  having  un- 
flinchingly endured  an  excruciating  operation,  he  slow- 
ly recovered.  To  kill  the  tedious  hours  while  on  a 
sick  bed,  the  prostrate  cavalier,  in  the  absence  of 
romantic  tomes,  read  the  Life  of  Christ ;  and  gradual- 
ly conceived  for  the  heroism  of  saints  and  the  suffer- 
ings of  martyrs  an  admiration  which  the  brightest 
deeds  of  chivalry  could  no  longer  excite  in  his  breast. 
On  rising,  he  invited  his  old  companions  to  a  last  re- 
past, and  then,  betaking  himself  to  a  cave  among 
rocks,  gave  his  gay  attire  to  a  beggar,  clothed  himself 
in  sackcloth,  and  mortified  his  spirit  with  fasts  and 
vigils.  Thence,  with  a  pilgrim's  staff'  in  his  hand, 
though  still  lame,  he  journeyed  by  secluded  paths  to 
the  Convent  of  Mauresa,  where,  after  some  natural 
sighs  for  the  lady  he  had  loved  as  well  as  the  world 
he  had  left,  after  allowing  his  hair  and  his  nails  to 
grow,  the  once  blooming  and  brilliant  warrior  was,  by 
cruel  penances,  transformed  into  a  pale  Dominican 
monk.  At  length,  under  the  influence  of  the  strong 
delusions  he  had  fostered,  this  extraordinary  man  in- 
stituted, in  1535,  a  religious  brotherhood,  not  confined 
to  cloisters,  but  appointed  to  mix  with  and  influence 
mankind,  to  combat  the  progress  of  open  heresy,  to 
repress  mutiny  within  the  Church,  to  convert  the 
world   to    the    Romish    faith,    and    to  estabhsh    the 


SOCIETY  OF  THE   JESUITS.  297 

supremacy  of  the  Pope.  The  metamorphosed  kiiight 
was  Ignatius  Loyola,  and  the  order  founded  was  the 
Society  of  the  Jesuits. 

Eight  years  after  his  rival  had  gone  to  the  grave, 
Charles,  in  1556,  abdicated  the  Spanish  throne  in  fa- 
vor of  his  son  Philip,  and  a  few  months  later,  weary 
of  war  and  disgusted  with  grandeur,  he  resigned  the 
imperial  crown  to  his  brother  Ferdinand,  and  retired 
to  indulge  his  melancholy  mood  in  the  monastery  of 
St.  Just,  on  the  frontiers  of  Castile.  While  there  he 
is  reported  to  have  enacted  no  less  extraordinary  a 
scene  than  the  celebration  of  his  own  funeral  obse- 
quies. After  causing  a  tomb  to  be  erected  in  the 
chapel,  and  making  his  attendants  walk  thither  in 
jirocession,  the  ex-Emperor  followed  in  his  shroud, 
and  was  laid  in  his  coffin.  The  monks  then  chant- 
ed the  service  for  the  dead,  prayed  for  the  repose 
of  his  soul,  and  shed  tears  for  his  departure.  This 
singular  ceremony  is  said  to  have  thrown  Charles 
into  a  fever,  of  which  he  expired  in  his  fifty-ninth 
year. 

Philip  II.  inherited  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most 
magnificent  empires  on  which  the  sun  ever  shone,  and 
he  sought  to  increase  his  hereditary  influence  by  es- 
pousing Mary,  queen, of  England,  who  loved  him  with 
the  utmost  tenderness.  But,  notwithstanding  her 
displays  of  affection,  Philip,  tiring  of  the  society  of 
a  spouse  so  destitute  of  attractions,  and  indignant 
that  her  subjects  would   not   allow   England   to   be 


298  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

made  a  fief  of  Spain,  escaped  to  his  Continental  do- 
minions. However,  when  the  Pope,  jealous  of  the 
King's  enormous  power,  formed  an  alliance  with  Hen- 
ry n.  of  France,  to  detach  Milan  and  the  Sicilies 
from  the  crown  of  Spain,  Philip  considered  it  expedi- 
ent to  feign  some  esteem  for  his  Ci-ueen,  and  paying 
her  a  visit  at  Greenwich,  ohtained  the  aid  of  England 
in  his  struggle.  His  army  was  victorious  over  the 
French,  led  by  the  Constable  Montmorency,  at  St. 
Q,uentin  ;  and  at  Gravelines  the  Count  Egmont  van- 
quished the  old  Marshal  Thermos ;  after  which  the 
King  of  France,  by  the  Treaty  of  Cambresis,  surren- 
dered to  Spain  eighty-nine  fortified  towns  in  Italy  and 
the  Low  Countries. 

Phihp  was  destined  to  deal  with  a  sovereign  infi- 
nitely less  accommodating  :  for,  ere  the  treaty  of  peace 
was  signed,  tlueen  Mary  had  breathed  her  last,  and 
been  succeeded  on  the  English  throne  by  a  princess 
whose  policy  baffled  his  schemes,  and  whose  cour- 
age defied  his  vengeance.  After,  in  vain,  solicit- 
ing the  coveted  hand  of  Elizabeth,  Philip  wedded  a 
daughter  of  Catherine  de  Medici  ;  and  becoming  dis- 
quieted on  the  score  of  religion,  he  resolved  to  gratify 
his  natural  bigotry  by  extirpating  from  his  dominions 
every  species  of  heresy.  He  began  with  the  Nether- 
lands, where  the  Reformed  doctrines  had  made  con- 
siderable progress,  and  established  the  Inquisition  with 
plenary  power  :  but  this  alienated  the  hearts  of  the 
inhabitants,  who,  choosing  as  their  leader  William  of 


REVOLT   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS.  299 

Orange,  a  Count  of  the  Empire,  bravely  resisted  the 
power  of  Spain.  Phihp  proscribed,  and  set  a  iDrico 
^n  the  head  of,  the  Prince  of  Orange,  who  was  soon 
Assassinated  ;  but  his  son,  Maurice,  appeared  as  his 
cuccessor,  and,  with  the  aid  of  dueen  EHzabeth,  ere 
(ong  secured  the  independence  of  the  United  Prov- 
inces. 

PhiHp,  exasperated  by  the  assistance  which  the  En- 
ghsh  Glueen  had  afforded  to  the  revoked  Netherlands, 
having  meantime  seized  on  Portugal,  commenced  fit- 
ting out  the  Invincible  Armada  for  the  invasion  of 
England  ;  and  preparations  were  in  full  progress  when 
suddenly  Sir  Francis  Drake  made  a  dash  at  Cadiz, 
and  after  destroying  tliirty  vessels  scoured  the  Spanish 
coast,  burning  and  shattering  many  castles  and  ships. 
The  King's  naval  operations  were  thus  delayed  till 
May,  1588,  when  the  Armada,  consisting  of  a  hundred 
and  thirty  sail,  left  ths  Tagus  under  the  command  of 
the  Duke  of  Medina,  who  hoped  to  steer  through  the 
Channel  to  Flanders,  and  form  a  junction  with  the 
Duke  of  Parma.  But  being  attacked  by  the  English 
Admiral,  and  after  several  engagements  driven  toward 
Orkney,  the  fleet  was  so  effectually  scattered  by  a  tem- 
pest, that  the  Duke  returned  to  Spam  with  not  more 
than  sixty  shattered  vessels. 

Spanish  ambition  was  soon  directed  toward  an- 
other  country.  The  extinction  of  the  house  of  Va- 
lois,  and  the  enmity  of  the  League  to  Henry  cf 
Navarre,  inspired  Philip  with  the  hope  of  placing 


200  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— SPAIN. 

his  daughter  Isabella  on  the  throne  of  her  maternal 
uncle,  and  he  sent  into  France  Alexander  Farnese, 
the  great  Duke  of  Parma.  That  famous  general, 
after  nearly  seizing  Henry  at  the  battle  of  Aumale, 
forced  him  to  raise  the  siege  of  Rouen  ;  but  the  King, 
by  a  series  of  active  manoeuvres,  hemmed  in  Parma 
between  the  sea,  the  Seine,  and  three  divisions  of 
his  army.  In  this  perilous  crisis,  the  aged  warrior, 
though  his  frame  was  bowed  down  with  fever,  mani- 
fested his  approved  genius.  Rousing  himself  to  en- 
ergy, and  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  enemy,  he  erect- 
ed a  bridge  in  a  single  night,  crossed  the  river  unde- 
tected, and  brought  off  the  Spanish  army  in  safety. 
The  Spaniards  still  occupied  Paris  ;  but,  on  the  day 
when  Khig  Henry  entered  his  capital,  they  marched 
out  with  the  honors  of  war.  The  hero  of  Ivry  placed 
himself  at  a  window  to  see  the  troops  retire.  "  Gen- 
tlemen," cried  he,  with  a  laughing  sneer,  "present 
my  compliments  to  your  master,  but  come  no  longer 
here." 

However,  in  1596,  war  being  formally  declared,  the 
Spaniards  seized  Calais,  with  other  walled  towns  ; 
and  in  alarm  dueen  Elizabeth  dispatched  a  fleet  to 
Cadiz,  under  the  young  and  accomplished  Earl  of  Es- 
sex. Landing  in  spite  of  the  fire  from  the  forts  and 
battlements,  the  English  forced  the  town  to  capitulate, 
made  the  inhabitants  pay  for  their  lives,  razed  the 
fortifications,  and  burned  the  houses.  In  revenge, 
Philip  sent  ships  to  threaten  the  English  coast,  though 


FOREIGN    WARS.  301 

without  any  success  ;  and  at  length,  satiated  with  the 
hlood  which  had  been  shed  in  promotion  of  his  vari- 
ous and  ambitious  designs,  he  signed  the  Peace  of 
Vervins.  On  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  St.  Quentin, 
Philip  had  vowed,  in  the  event  of  victory,  to  build, 
in  honor  of  St.  Laurence,  a  church,  a  monastery,  and 
a  palace;  and,  in  fulfdlment  of  this  vow,  he  erected 
near  Madrid  the  magnificent  palace  of  the  Escurial, 
which  contained  the  residence  and  mausoleum  of  the 
sovereigns  of  Spain.  Expiring  in  1598,  he  was  laid 
in  the  cemetery  which  he  had _  formed  beneath  tho 
pavement  of  the  church  ;  and  his  son,  Phihp  III.,  as- 
cended the  throne. 

From  that  period  Spain  declined  in  power  and  im- 
portance, though  her  empire  was  long,  to  outward  ap- 
pearance, great  and  magnificent.  The  new  king,  who 
was  not  less  bigoted  than  his  gloomy  sire,  prosecuted 
the  war  against  the  "United  Provinces,  but,  in  1G09, 
was  forced  to  conclude  a  treaty  at  the  Hague,  which 
secured  civil  and  religious  freedom  to  the  new  repub- 
lic, and  restored  the  confiscated  estates  of  the  house  of 
Orange.  Yet,  untaught  by  experience,  and  under  the 
inspiration  of  his  minister,  the  Duke  of  Lerma,  he 
issued  an  edict,  ordering  the  Morescoes,  or  descendants 
of  the  Moors,  to  leave  the  kingdom  within  thirty  days, 
and  thus  farther  enfeebled  a  state  which  war  and  emi- 
gration had  previously  deprived  of  so  many  energetic 
and  industrious  inhabitants.  The  Morescoes  had  been 
conspicuous  for  their  skill  and  ingenuity  in  arts  and 


302  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

manufactures,  and  this  depopulation  produced  a  most 
baneful  effect. 

Philip  IV.  succeeded,  on  his  father's  decease,  to  an 
empire  more  extensive  indeed  than  the  realms  of  the 
Grand  Monarch,  but  corrupt  in  all  its  parts,  and  in 
a  state  of  hopeless  prostration.  The  result  soon  ap- 
peared. Brazil  was  taken  by  the  Dutch  ;  Catalonia 
revolted  to  France  ;  and  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  the 
Portuguese  were  intrusted  with  arms.  The  latter, 
turning  against  their  oppressive  governors,  placed  the 
Duke  of  Braganza  on  the  throne  ;  and  Philip  was  one 
of  the  last  personages  in  Europe  who  heard  of  the  im- 
portant event.  Shut  up  in  the  recesses  of  the  Escurial, 
he  was  indulging  in  licentious  dissipation,  when  one 
day  his  able  and  artful  minister,  Olivarez,  craved  an 
audience.  "  I  bring,"  said  he,  "  good  news  to  your 
majesty.  The  Duke  of  Braganza's  whole  fortune  is 
yours.  He  has  presumptuously  got  himself  declared 
King  of  Portugal,  and,  consequently,  you  are  entitled  to 
the  forfeiture  of  all  his  estates."  Philip,  lost  in  luxu- 
rious enjoyment,  only  replied,  "  Let  the  sequestration 
be  ordered."  And  Portugal  was  lost  to  him  beyond 
the  hope  of  recovery. 

A  war  which  broke  out  with  France  was  termin- 
ated, in  1659,  by  the  Peace  of  the  Pyrenees,  which 
was  negotiated  by  the  crafty  Mazarin ;  and  by  this 
treaty  it  was  stipulated  that  Louis  XIV.  should  es- 
pouse the  King's  eldest  daughter,  she  renouncing  all 
claim  to  the  succession. 


ACCESSION   OF  THE   BOURBONS.  303 

lu  1665,  Philip  expired,  and  his  son  Charles  suc- 
ceeded. The  kingdom  was  in  a  deplorable  state,  and 
its  ruler  a  prey  to  listless  melancholy  and  extravagant 
superstitions ;  so  the  Kings  of  France  and  England, 
seeing  that  Charles  had  no  heirs,  and  that  his  days 
were  numbered,  agreed  to  a  treaty  of  partition.  This 
roused  the  languishing  monarch  into  temporary  in- 
dignation, which  Louis,  though  the  chief  ofiender,  suc- 
ceeded in  turning  entirely  against  the  other  powers. 
Thus  it  happened,  that  while  the  Spanish  embassador 
was  so  insolent  in  his  remonstrances  at  the  court  ol 
St.  James's,  that  William  commanded  him  to  leave 
England,  Charles,  in  making  a  destination  of  his  ter- 
ritories by  will,  after  numerous  consultations  with  the 
Pope,  the  Spanish  Universities,  and  his  own  Council, 
nominated  as  his  heir  Philip,  duke  of  Anjou,  second 
son  of  tho  Dauphin  of  France,  and  grandson  of 
Louis.  Having  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  a  memo- 
rable war,  Charles  died  on  the  3d  of  November, 
1700. 

"When  it  was  publicly  announced  that  the  kingdom 
of  Spain  had  been  bequeathed  to  the  Duke  of  Anjou, 
Louis,  with  an  unscrupulous  disregard  of  the  obliga- 
tions he  had  incurred  by  treaties,  acknowledged  his 
grandson  as  Philip  V.,  and  rejoiced  in  the  thought  of 
all  the  rich  possessions  of  the  crown  of  Spain  being 
transferred  to  the  house  of  Bourbon.  Philip  hastened 
to  take  possession  of  the  magnificent  legacy  ;  his  broth- 
ers accompanied  him  to  the  frontier  ;  and  Louis  made 


304  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— SPAIN. 

use  of  the  vain,  but  significant  words — "  The  Pyrenees 
exist  no  longer." 

In  the  reign  of  Clueen  Elizabeth  it  had  been  the 
policy  of  England  to  support  the  house  of  Bouiboa 
against  that  of  Austria,  then  in  the  fullness  of  power, 
but  now  the  pride  and  ambition  of  France  had  grown 
to  such  a  height  that  an  opposite  course  was  deemed 
wise  and  expedient.  Moreover,  both  the  King  and 
people  of  England  were  stung  to  the  quick  at  the 
proclamation,  in  Paris,  of  the  Pretender  as  James  III.; 
a  cry  for  war  was  raised  in  all  parts  of  the  country ; 
and  WiUiam,  having  formed  the  G  rand  Alliance,  pre- 
pared for  hostiUties,  when  the  resolute  and  energetic 
spirit  was  separated  from  its  frail  and  wasted  tene- 
ment of  clay.  But  Ciueen  Anne  succeeded  her  broth- 
er-in-law, and  forthwith,  to  place  Charles  of  Austria 
on  the  Spanish  throne,  was  commenced  that  terrible 
contest  known  in  history  as  the  War  of  the  Succes- 
sion. 

While  Marlborough  began  with  glory  the  war  in 
Flanders,  Admiral  Rooke  and  the  Duke  of  Ormond 
made  an  attack  on  Cadiz  ;  but  failing  in  the  attempt 
they  sailed  to  the  port  of  Vigo,  and  captured  some 
rich  Spanish  galleons  from  the  Havana.  Louis  sent 
to  the  aid  of  his  feeble  and  indolent  grandson  an  army 
commanded  by  the  Duke  of  Berwick,  a  natural  son 
of  James  II.,  whose  mihtary  skill  held  the  Allies  in 
check  during  the  campaign  of  1704  ;  but  during  that 
year  Admiral  Rooke,  having  appeared  before  Gibral- 


WAR  OF  THE    SUCCESSION.  305 

tar,  made  liis  men  climb  the  rock,  and  display  the 
lion  flag  of  England  from  its  heights. 

Next  year  was  distinguished  by  the  brilliant  ex- 
ploits of  Charles  Mordaunt,  earl  of  Peterborough,  a 
man  of  singular  talent  and  eccentricity,  who,  landing 
ia  Catalonia,  took  Barcelona,  and  caused  the  Arch- 
duke Charles  to  be  proclaimed  King  of  Spain.  Short- 
ly after,  an  English  army  appeared  on  the  heights 
above  Madrid,  and  Phihp  Avith  his  Cluoen,  a  princess 
of  Savoy,  fled  in  alarm  to  Burgos,  a  city  of  old  Cas- 
tile, while  the  English,  entering  Madrid  in  triumph, 
proclaimed  the  Archduke  in  the  streets  as  Charles 
III. 

The  struggle,  for  a  time,  appeared  to  be  termina- 
ting in  favor  of  the  Austrian  claimant ;  but  a  reaction 
was  at  hand.  The  spirit  of  the  Spanish  peasantry, 
who  during  the  contest  had  seemed  dormant,  burst 
forth  when  the  affairs  of  Philip  were  at  the  worst. 
They  subscribed  money,  and  took  up  arms  in  the 
cause  of  their  fugitive  King  ;  and  about  the  same  time 
the  romantic  and  volatile  Peterborough,  having  lost 
all  patience  with  the  tardy  Archduke,  declared  that 
men  were  great  fools  to  fight  for  two  such  blockheads 
as  Charles  and  Philip,  and  finally  obtained  permission 
to  leave  the  allied  army. 

From  the  day  of  Peterborough's  departure  for  En- 
gland the  fortunes  of  Philip  brightened  and  rose.  The 
Duke  of  Berwick  compelled  his  adversaries  to  retreat 
on  Valencia,  where  the  inhabitants  favored  the  Aus- 
U 


306  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— SPAIN. 

trian  claim  ;  and  on  the  plains  of  Almanza  the  Allies 
were  so  completely  defeated,  that  the  French,  pursu- 
ing their  conquests,  occupied  everj'  place  but  Catalo- 
.•nia.  General  Stanhope  now  took  the  command  of 
■  the  English  army.  In  1710  bolder  enterprises  were 
(Ventured  on  ;  the  troops  of  Philip  M'cre  twice  roiited  ; 
•  the  Allies  again  marched  into  Madrid  ;  and  the  King, 
a  second  time,  fled  from  his  capital.  But,  once  more, 
the  proud,  high-spirited  peasants  of  Castile  seized 
their  pikes  and  fire-locks ;  and  the  invaders,  finding 
themselves  in  the  heart  of  a  population  haughtily 
hostile,  commenced  a  retreat  in  the  direction  of  Ara- 
gon. 

Louis,  perplexed  in  the  extreme  by  the  brilliant 
victories  of  Marlborough,  had  made  overtures  for 
peace,  little  in  accordance  with  his  proud  spirit,  and 
even  offered  to  abandon  the  cause  of  his  grandson ; 
but  being  unsuccessful,  he  sent  into  Spain  the  famous 
Duke  of  Vendome,  whose  name  was  the  terror  of  his 
enemies.  Vendome  accomplished  his  march  with  in- 
credible speed,  and  coming  up  to  Brihuega,  where 
Stanhope  had  arrived  with  eight  squadrons  and  eight 
battalions,  invested  the  town,  and  after  a  terrible 
struggle  captured  the  English  general  and  his  little 
army.  By  a  victor}'  on  the  following  day  he  ren- 
dered the  Austrian  cause  hopeless,  and  every  prospect 
of  seating  the  Archduke  on  the  Spanish  throne  was  at 
an  end. 

At  this  period  great  political  changes  occurred  in 


PEACE  OF   UTRECHT.  307 

England,  dueen  Anne  conceived  an  aversion  toward 
the  Duchess  of  Marlborough  ;  the  illustrious  Duke  was 
disgraced ;  Harley  and  St.  John  acceded  to  power ; 
and  negotiations  were  commenced  at  Utrecht,  which 
resulted  in  a  European  peace.  Philip,  for  himself  and 
his  posterity,  renounced  all  claim  to  the  throne  of 
France  ;  the  heirs  of  Louis  precluded  themselves  from 
the  throne  of  Spain  ;  Majorca  and  Gibraltar  remained 
in  possession  of  England  ;  and  the  Archduke  Charles 
succeeded  his  brother  as  Emperor  of  Germany. 

Soon  after  the  peace  of  Utrecht,  a  bitter  quarrel 
arose  between  the  two  branches  of  the  house  of  Bour- 
bon ;  a  Spanish  fleet  attacked  the  coast  of  Brittany ; 
a  French  army,  under  the  Duke  of  Berwick,  entered 
Spain :  but  amity  was  restored  by  the  (Quadruple 
Treaty,  signed  at  the  Hague  in  1720.  Three  years 
later  the  Infanta  was  sent  to  Paris  as  the  betrothed 
bride  of  the  young  King  Louis,  and  a  daughter  of  the 
Eegent  Orleans  arrived  at  Madrid  as  the  prospective 
wife  of  the  Prince  of  Asturias  ;  but  the  Duke  of  Bour- 
bon, being  elevated  to  the  post  of  Prime  Minister,  dis- 
solved these  alliances,  and  returned  the  Lifanta  to  her 
father. 

Philip  had  in  the  preceding  year,  in  submission  to 
the  Jesuits,  abdicated  the  Spanish  throne  in  favor  of 
his  son  Ludovico  ;  but  that  prince  dying  after  a  reign 
of  seven  months,  and  his  younger  brother  being  only 
ten  years  of  age,  the  old  King  was  prevailed  on  U 
yesume  the  sceptre.     He  had  scarcely  reascended  the 


308  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

tlirone  when  intelligence  was  received  of  Bourbon 
having  broken  ofi"  the  intended  marriage — an  insult 
which  Castihan  pride  could  not  brook.  Philip  formed 
an  alliance  with  his  former  rival,  the  Emperor  Charles ; 
but  the  dismissal  of  Bourbon  and  the  pacific  effects 
bf  the  Cardinal  Fleury  restored  peace  between  the 
royal  kinsmen;  and  in  1734,  Philip,  invading  Italy, 
placed  his  son  Don  Carlos  upon  the  throne  of  Naples. 

Ferdinand  V.,  a  prince  of  a  mild  and  pacific  dis- 
position, succeeded  his  father  in  1746,  and  gave  much 
encouragement  to  arts,  commerce,  and  manufactures  ; 
but  the  death  of  his  Q,ueen  overwhelmed  him  in  such 
grief  that  he  died  in  1759.  His  brother  Don  Carlos, 
ascending  the  throne  with  the  title  of  Charles  III., 
was  induced  to  sign,  with  France,  that  family  com- 
pact which  stipulated  for  reciprocal  aid  between  the 
different  branches  of  the  Bourbons,  and  denounced  as 
the  enemy  of  all  any  power  that  might  hereafter  be 
at  war  with  one. 

Ferdinand  and  his  subjects  had  soon  cause  to  re- 
pent of  this  temerity ;  for  the  Seven  Years'  AVar  be- 
gan, and  the  arms  of  England  were  signally  triumph- 
ant. Havana  was  taken  by  the  English  in  1762, 
and  Spain  suffered  enormous  losses,  till  the  Treaty  of 
Fontainebleau  put  an  end  to  the  war,  and  restored 
her  possessions. 

Charles  was  once  more  drawn  into  war  with  En- 
gland ;  and  in  1779  commenced  that  siege  of  Gibral- 
tar, which  for  two  years  was  persisted  in   without 


SIEGE   OF   GIBRALTAR.  309 

cfiect.  At  length,  in  1782,  when  the  defense  had 
been  hitrusted  to  General  Elliot,  a  grand  attack  waa 
resolved  on,  and  King  Charles  inquired  every  morn- 
ing, on  waking,  "  Is  it  taken  ?"  On  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember a  mighty  effort  was  made  :  a  French  engineer 
'had  constructed  floating  batteries,  wliich  he  said  could 
neither  be  sunk  nor  set  on  fire  ;  and  four  hundred 
pieces  of  the  heaviest  artilleiy  were  brought  to  bear 
on  the  fortress.  But  the  red-hot  balls  fired  by  the 
garrison  were  irresistible  in  their  eftect ;  the  hostile 
batteries  were  destroyed,  the  ships  sunk,  and  most  of 
the  besiegers  with  them.  Elliot,  for  his  gallant  and 
memorable  defense,  was  ennobled,  with  the  title  of 
Lord  Heathfield,  and  peace  was  concluded  next  year. 

Soon  after  this  failure,  King  Charles  made  an 
attempt  to  reform  the  dress  and  manners  of  his  sub- 
jects, and  carried  his  measures  to  so  imprudent  a 
length,  that  an  insuirection  occurred  at  Madrid,  and 
he  was  under  the  necessity  of  dismissing  his  favorite 
minister,  Squillace.  The  earthly  career  of  Charles 
closed  in  1788,  and  he  was  eucceeded  by  his  son, 
Charles  IV. 

"When,  in  1793,  a  confederacy  was  formed  against 
the  French  Repubhc,  Charles  joined  in  the  league ; 
but  a  French  army  being  sent  into  Spain,  he  changed 
sides,  and  was  soon  inspired  with  a  Jiigh  admiration 
of  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  His  subjects  being  still 
animated  by  their  ancient  hatred  toward  England, 
Charles  was  not  averse    to  minister  to   Napoleon's 


310  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SPAIN. 

ambition,  and  in  1805  they  declared  war  in  concert ; 
but  their  united  fleets  were  destroyed  in  the  great 
battle  of  Trafalgar. 

Still  it  was  in  Bonaparte's  power  to  exercise  a 
sovereign  influence  over  Spain,  without  infringing  on 
that  national  spirit  which,  a  centur)'  earlier,  had  re- 
sisted the  allies  of  the  House  of  Austria ;  till  the  dis- 
sensions iir  the  royal  family  stimulated  his  ambition. 
Charles,  a  feeble  prince,  entirely  under  the  influence 
of  Godoy,  the  Q,ueen's  favorite,  had  fallen  into  con- 
tempt. His  son,  Ferdinand,  was  the  idol  of  the  na- 
tion ;  and  Napoleon  was  entreated  to  arbitrate  in  re- 
gard to  their  diflerences.  He  seized  the  occasion  to 
send  an  army  across  the  Pyrenees  under  Murat,  who 
suddenly  took  possession  of  Barcelona  and  several 
strongholds.  Soon  after,  Napoleon  demanded  a  sur- 
render of  the  provinces  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ebro. 
Charles  and  his  spouse  were  dumb  with  surprise ; 
Godoy  advised  the  King  and  Queen  to  embark  for 
their  American  dominions  ;  and  preparations  were 
made  with  that  view.  But  their  son,  Ferdinand, 
opposing  the  step,  summoned  the  populace,  raised  an 
insurrection,  in  which  the  royal  troops  took  part,  caused 
Godoy  to  be  arrested,  kept  the  King  prisoner,  and  after 
I  procuring  an  abdication  in  his  own  favor,  entered 
Madrid  in  haughty  triumph  as  Sovereign  of  Spain. 

Brief  was  his  ovation  ;  for  on  the  following  day 
Murat  marched  his  army  into  the  capital,  and  Charles 
protested    against   his    compulsory   abdication;    but 


USURPATION   OF  BONAPARTE.  311 

though  Murat  refused  to  acknowledge  the  royalty  of 
Ferdinand,  he  administered  no  comfort  to  Charles — 
"  Napoleon  alone,"  he  said,  "  can  decide  between  the 
father  and  the  son." 

What  that  meant  was  ere  long  heyond  all  douht ; 
for  the  Emperor  going  to  Bayonne,  summoned  thither 
the  King  as  well  as  his  vmdutiful  heir.  He  then  decided 
the  matter  by  making  Charles  abdicate  in  his  own 
favor,  by  imprisoning  Ferdinand  in  the  Chateau  of 
Valencay,  and  by  assigning  that  of  Compiegne  as  a 
residence  for  the  deposed  monarch. 

Murat,  meanwhile,  retained  possession  of  Madrid  ; 
and,  under  French  influence,  the  Council  of  Castile 
demanded  as  king  the  Emperor's  eldest  brother, 
Joseph.  The  latter,  resigning  the  crown  of  Naples  to 
Murat,  hastened  to  Bayonne,  where  he  was  acknowl- 
edged as  sovereign  of  Spain  by  various  deputations. 
But,  ere  his  entry  mto  Madrid,  the  Spanish  peasantry 
had  indignantly  taken  up  arms  ;  the  clergy  had  in- 
flamed their  enthusiasm  by  representing  Napoleon  as 
Antichrist ;  the  royal  troops  joined  the  insurgents  ;  a 
cry  of  vengeance  arose  throughovxt  the  land ;  and  at 
Cadiz  the  French  fleet  was  seized  and  the  crew 
slaughtered.  The  victory  of  Bessieres  opened  the  gates 
tf  Madrid  to  King  Joseph  ;  who,  however,  was  fain, 
when  Dupont  capitulated  at  Bayleu,  to  leave  the  city 
tvithin  a  week  of  his  triumphant  entry  ;  and  he  soon 
possessed  in  all  Spain  no  more  than  Navarre,  Biscay, 
and  Barcelona. 


312  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS— SPAIN. 

Ambitious  of  subjugating  Spain,  the  Emperor  sum- 
moned, thither  his  still  unconquered  legions,  and  plac- 
ing himself  at  their  head,  was  victorious  in  three  en- 
gagements. Entering  Madrid,  he  tempted,  the  inhab- 
itants with  promises  of  franchises  and  the  abolition 
of  feudalism ;  but  their  ears  were  closed  against  all 
offers. 

The  Spaniards  were  resolutely  rising  in  organized 
bands,  and  the  English  army  was  approaching,  when 
the  news  arrived  that  Austria  had  formed  a  new 
coalition  with  England,  Bonaparte  withdrew  to  the 
Hhine,  while  the  Spaniards  hailed  their  ancient  ene- 
mies as  deliverers,  and  the  English  defeated  King 
Jo.?eph  in  the  battle  cf  Talavera.  The  victory  of 
AYellington  over  Marmont  at  Salamanca,  in  1812,  and 
that  over  King  Joseph  at  Vittoria,  in  1813,  brought 
the  English  to  the  Pyrenees ;  and  Spain  was  irre- 
claimably  lost  to  the  Empire  of  the  French. 

Emerging  from  his  prison  at  Valencay,  Ferdinand 
VII.  returned  to  take  possession  of  his  ancestral 
throne ;  but  the  princes  of  restored  dynasties  are  the 
most  infatuated  of  beings,  and  the  new  King  of  Spain 
did  not  escape  the  general  doom.  Instead  of  granting 
liberal  institutions,  he,  at  the  instigation  of  the  priests, 
re-established  the  hateful  Inquisition,  and  practiced  his 
tyrannies  so  ruthlessly,  that,  in  1820,  the  endurance  of 
his  subjects  was  at  an  end.  Riego,  rising  in  arms,  pro- 
claimed the  Constitution  which  the  Cortes  had  adopted 
in  1812  ;   and,  though  he  was  unsuccessful',  the  greater 


THE   INSURRECTION   OF  RIEGO.  313 

part  of  the  nation  rose.  The  army  joined  the  insur- 
gents, and,  though  Ferdinand  announced  his  intention 
of  convenmg  the  Cortes  and  granting  reforms,  his 
ofiers  were  despised.  The  populace  thronged  and 
clamored  around  his  palace ;  and  the  wretched  King 
was  fain  to  proclaim  the  Constitution. 

At  that  time,  the  Congress  of  Yerona,  convoked  to 
consider  the  affairs  of  Greece,  found  the  Spanish  revo- 
lution a  much  more  exciting  topic  ;  a  French  army  on 
the  frontier  was  ready  to  aid  Ferdinand,  but  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  as  representative  of  England,  objected 
to  intervention.  Nevertheless,  in  1823,  the  troops, 
under  the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  crossed  the  Pyrenees, 
and  entered  Madrid.  Ferdinand,  who  had  previously 
been  deposed  by  the  Cortes,  on  being  restored  by 
French  arms  annulled  every  act  of  the  Constitutional 
Government,  and  Riego  was  hanged  on  a  very  high 
gibbet,  without  being  permitted  to  address  the  people. 

In  1833,  Ferdinand,  from  indulging  to  excess  in 
eating,  died  of  apoplexy,  having  previously  nominated 
his  Glueen  as  Regent  during  the  minority  of  her 
daughter,  Isabella  11.,  then  three  years  of  age.  The 
new  reign  began  with  civil  strife,  for  Don  Carlos, 
uncle  of  the  youthful  sovereign,  aspired  to  the  crown, 
and  on  his  return  from  exile  the  Carlist  war  for  years 
desolated  the  unfortunate  country. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HISTORY    OF   PORTUGAL. 

"While  Spaniard  was  struggling  against  Moor — 
Christian  against  Saracen — the  Cross  against  the  Cres- 
cent— there  came  to  the  aid  of  Alphonso,  king  of  Cas- 
tile, a  noble  volunteer,  celebrated  as  Henry  of  Bur- 
gundy, who  rendered  such  efficient  assistance,  that  the 
Castilian  sovereign  in  gratitude  bestowed  upon  him  the 
hand  of  his  daughter  and  the  province  of  Portugal. 
Henry  was  content  with  the  title  of  Count ;  but  his 
son  Alphonso,  having  achieved  a  decisive  victory  over 
no  fewer  than  five  Moorish  kings,  was,  by  his  soldiers, 
invested  with  royal  ranlc  in  1139.  He  soon  after, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Crusaders,  gained  possession 
of  Lisbon  ;  made  matters  pleasant  with  the  Pope,  hy 
paying  annually  two  marks  of  gold  ;  reigned  with  a 
high  character  for  courage  and  wisdom  during  forty- 
six  years,  and  transmitted  the  regal  dignity  to  his  de- 
scendants, who  were  involved  in  perpetual  w'ar  with 
the  Moors. 

In  1383,  however,  King  Ferdinand  of  Portugal 
died  without  male  issue ;  the  King  of  Castile,  who 
had  espoused  the  Infanta,  claimed  the  throne,  and  the 


DISCOVERIES    BY   THE   PORTUGUESE.      315 

matter  remained  in  abeyance  for  eighteen  months. 
But  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  States  of  Portugal 
bestowed  the  crown  upon  John,  a  natural  brother  of 
the  deceased  sovereign  ;  and  he,  proving  quite  worthy 
of  his  elevation,  formed  a  navy,  and  maintained  the 
dignity  of  his  kingdom.  His  third  son,  Don  Henry, 
was  remarkable  for  enterprise  ;  and  equipping  a  sin- 
gle ship,  projected  discoveries  in  the  Western  Ocean. 
Driven  out  to  sea,  he  landed  on  the  island  of  Porto 
Santo ;  and  the  mariners,  emboldened  by  this  acci- 
dent to  venture  into  the  open  sea,  were  rewarded  by 
the  discovery,  in  1420,  of  Madeira,  where  their  colo- 
nists planted  the  Cyprus  vine  and  the  sugar-cane. 
Encouraged  by  this  success,  Henry  obtained  a  papal 
bull,  granting  to  the  Portuguese  whatever  countries 
they  might  discover  between  Cape  Horn  and  India ; 
and  soon  after  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands  were  added 
to  their  colonies. 

Edward  having  succeeded  his  father  John,  and 
Edward's  son,  Alphonso  V.,  whose  victory  over  the 
Moors  won  him  the  cognomen  of  "  the  African,"  hav- 
ing occupied  the  throne,  John  H.,  a  prince  of  sagacity 
and  intelligence,  but  of  a  hot  and  enterprising  temper, 
inherited  the  sceptre,  and  made  Lisbon  a  free  port. 
The  profits  derived  by  the  Venetians  from  their  trado 
with  the  East  tempted  the  avidity  of  the  Portuguese, 
who  prosecuted  discoveries  with  ardor,  made  conquests, 
and  established  their  commerce  in  the  interior  of  Afri- 
ca ;  and,  led  by  Captain  Diaz,  in   148G  they  passed 


31G  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— PORTUGAL. 

the  extreme  point  of  Africa,  to  which  they  gave  the 
name  of  the  "  Stormy  Cape."  "  No,"  said  King  John, 
who  recognized  the  value  of  this  discovery,  "  let  it  be 
called  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope." 

The  spirit  of  enterprise  was  now  fully  awakened ; 
and  Emanuel  the  Fortunate,  John's  successor,  sent 
out  a  fleet  under  Vasco  de  Gama,  who,  doubhng  the 
Cape,  after  a  voyage  of  thirteen  months  achieved  the 
passage  to  India  by  sea.  Another  Portuguese  admiral, 
Alvarez  de  Cabral,  while  sailing  to  India,  and  keeping 
out  to  sea  to  avoid  the  calms  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
discovered  Brazil. 

These  discoveries  rendered  Lisbon  ancl  the  Portu- 
guese great  and  enviable  in  the  eyes  o^  European 
traders.  In  India  they  beat  down  the  opposition  of 
the  native  princes,  conquered  the  coast  of  Malabar, 
captured  the  city  of  Goa,  which,  as  tlie  residnuce  of 
their  viceroy,  became  the  seat  of  their  Indian  empire, 
and  in  fifty  years  rendered  themselves  masters  of  the 
whole  trade  of  the  Indian  Ocean. 

John  III.,  in  1521,  succeeded  his  father  Emanuel, 
who,  after  establishing  the  Inquisition  in  his  domin' 
ions,  admitted  the  order  of  Jesuits  recently  instituted 
by  Ignatius  Loyola,  became  a  member  of  the  society, 
and  sent  many  of  the  brethren  to  convert  his  Eastern 
subjects.  Dying  after  a  reign  of  thirty-six  years,  his 
sen,  the  famous  Don  Sebastian,  came  to  the  throne  in 
1557  :  and  about  that  period  the  King  of  Morocco, 
having  been  dethroned  by  an  uncle,  solicited  the  aid 


STRUGGLE   FOR  THE   CROWN.  317 

of  Portugal.  Don  Sebastian,  sailing  from  Lisbon  with 
a  noble  armada,  and  landing  with  an  army  in  Africa, 
indulged  his  military  ardor  in  a  crusade  against  the 
Moors  ;  but,  being  defeated  and  slain,  he  was  succeed- 
ed on  the  throne  of  Portugal  by  his  rmcle,  Don  Henry, 
a  cardinal  and  archbishop,  who,  after  a  reign  cf  two 
years,  died  without  heirs. 

Upon  this  there  occurred  a  struggle  for  the  crown 
between  Philip  II.,  king  of  Spain,  as  heir  of  Isabel  of 
Portugal,  and  Don  Antonio,  prior  of  Crato,  an  illegit- 
imate representative  of  the  royal  line.  But  Philip, 
defeating  his  rival  in  an  engagement  at  sea,  quietly 
took  possession  of  the  prize,  and  Don  Antonio  sought 
refuge  in  England.  There  he  pined  in  pinching  pov- 
erty till  1589,  when,  the  Invincible  Armada  having 
been  defeated,  Q,ueen  Elizabeth,  to  annoy  Philip, 
brought  the  Don  before  the  public,  boldly  declared 
him  a  legitimate  prince,  and  provailcd  on  Parliament 
to  grant  a  supply  for  the  purpose  of  placing  him  on 
his  ancestral  throne.  An  armament  of  two  hundred 
sail  was,  with  the  aid  of  the  Dutch,  collected.  Sir 
Francis  Drake  took  the  command  ;  the  Earl  of  Essex 
stole  away  from  his  royal  mistress's  apron-string,  and 
hid  himself  on  board ;  Don  Antonio  embarked  with 
royal  honors  ;  and  the  fleet  left  the  shores  of  England. 
After  an  attempt  on  Corunna,  the  English  landed  at 
Penicke,  and  marched  with  little  resistance  to  Lisbon, 
proclaiming  Don  Antonio,  whom  nobody  joined.  In- 
deed, every  thing  went  wrong ;  and  though  the  city 


318  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.—PORTUGAL. 

was  almost  undefended,  the  English,  having  no  artil- 
lery, and  sickness  having  thinned  their  ranks,  came  to 
the  conclusion  of  returning  home,  -which  they  did  after 
plundering  a  couple  of  towns. 

But  though  the  Portuguese  had  declined  to  support 
the  pretensions  of  Don  Antonio,  they  were  by  no 
means  contented  with  their  Spanish  rulers  ;  and  after 
Portugal  had  been  treated  as  a  province  for  sixty 
years  the  people  revolted,  and,  by  a  bloodless  revo- 
lution, placed  on  the  throne  the  Duke  of  Braganza, 
who,  as  descended  from  a  daughter  of  Emanuel  the 
Fortunate,  began  to  reign  as  John  IV.  Ships  were 
dispatched  to  expel  the  Spanish  governors  from  the 
colonies  ;  Brazil,  which  had  been  taken  by  the  Dutch, 
was  recaptured ;  and  Portugal  was  restored  to  its 
rank  as  an  independent  state. 

When  John  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  sou 
Alphonso,  a  strange  event  occurred.  The  King,  be- 
ing of  a  Aveak  and  profligate  character,  was  deserted 
by  his  Q,ueen,  who,  after  taking  refuge  in  a  convent, 
and  suing  for  a  divorce,  was  married  to  her  former 
husband's  brother,  who  ascended  the  throne  as  Pedro 
11.,  and  reigned  in  peace  for  thirty  years.  By  a  sec- 
ond marriage  Pedro  left  a  son,  John  V.,  who  took 
part  in  the  Grrand  Alliance  against  Louis  XIV.,  and 
almost  ruined  the  cause  by  causing  the  loss  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Almanza  in  1707. 

Joseph  II.  succeeded  his  father  in  1750,  and  his 
reign  was  rendered  memorable  by  a  terrible  visitation. 


EARTHQUAKE   AT    LISBOxN.  319 

The  citizens  of  Lisbon  were  in  the  habit  of  seeking 
recreation  and  finding  excitement  in  those  public  di- 
A'ersions  which  had  too  long  and  too  often  delighted 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Peninsula.  In  the  principal 
square  of  the  city,  with  the  Kmg's  palace  on  one  side 
■and  the  river  on  the  other,  they  gayly  assembled  to 
witness,  one  day  bloody  fights  between  ferocious  bulls 
and  brave  cavaliers,  and  on  another  to  cheer  on  the 
ministers  of  the  Inquisition  while  they  tortured,  roast- 
ed, and  burned  helpless  heretics.  "While  from  the  ele- 
gant mansions  of  the  nobles,  flanked  by  large  gardens, 
and  the  meaner  houses  of  the  citizens,  and  the  humble 
dwellings  of  the  children  of  toil,  crowds  came  forth  to 
feast  their  eyes  and  huzza  at  these  barbarous  execu- 
tions, an  unexpected  calamity  laid  all  in  the  dust.  In 
November,  1755,  an  earthquake,  which  shook  Spain 
and  Portugal,  reduced  Lisbon  to  a  heap  of  ruins.  Ten 
thousand  persons  lost  their  lives ;  the  sad  survivors 
were  deprived  at  once  of  their  habitations  and  the 
means  of  subsistence  ;  and  many  were  forced  to  take 
up  their  abode  in  the  open  fields. 

Ere  Portugal  had  recovered  from  this  disaster,  a 
dangerous  conspiracy  was  formed  ;  and  on  a  Septem- 
ber evening,  while  the  King  was  driving  from  his 
countr)f-seat  to  the  capital,  he  was  dangerously  wound- 
ed by  a  shot  fired  through  the  back  of  his  carriage, 
and  only  saved  from  assassination  by  returning  to  his 
rural  retreat  instead  of  venturing  forward  to  Lisbon. 
Tho  principal  conspirators  were  seized  and  executed  ; 


320  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— PORTUGAL. 

and  the  Jesuits,  whose  agency  has  been  suspected  in 
the  most  diaboUeal  plots  recorded  in  history,  being 
accused  on  this  occasion,  were  fortliwith  banished  the 
realm. 

At  this  period,  while  Portugal  Avas  still  in  the  ut- 
most disorder,  an  army  of  sixty  thousand  k>paniards 
marched  to  the  frontier,  and  the  courts  of  France  and 
Spain  demanded  that  the  King  should  enter  into  a 
league  with  them  for  humbling  England.  But  Jo- 
seph, who  was  bound  both  by  national  honor  and 
by  commercial  interest  to  the  English,  refused  to 
take  part  against  the  ancient  ally  of  his  country, 
and  when  pressed,  declared,  "  I  would  rather  see 
the  last  tile  of  my  palace  fall,  and  have  the  last 
drop  of  my  blood  spilt,  than  sacrifice  the  honor  of  my 
crown." 

"War  was  immediately  declared  ;  the  Spanish  troops 
passed  the  mountains,  and  several  places  were  taken  ; 
but  ten  thousand  English  soldiers  coming  to  the  rescue, 
the  invaders  abandoned  their  conquests,  and  evacu- 
ated the  country  before  the  close  of  a  campaign. 

On  the  death  of  Joseph,  which  occurred  in  1777," 
his  daughter  Maria  was  proclaimed  Q,ueen  ;  and  to 
prevent  the  crown  from  falling  to  a  foreign  house,  she 
obtained  a  dispensation  from  the  Pope,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  her  inicle,  Don  Pedro.  The  latter  dying  in 
1786,  and  the  dueen  becoming  infirm,  the  functions 
of  government  were,  in  1792,  vested  in  her  son,  the 
Prince  of  Brazil,  who,  as  Regent,  took  part  in  the 


EXILE   OF   THE    ROYAL  FAMILY.  321 

wars  against  the  French  repubUc,  aud  maintained  a 
strict  aUiance  with  England. 

In  1807,  however,  the  Emperor  Napoleon  signed 
with  Spain  a  treaty  for  the  partition  of  Portugal,  is- 
sued a  proclamation  to  the  effect  that  "  the  house  of 
Braganza  had  ceased  to  reign,"  and  dispatched  an 
army  of  twenty-eight  thousand  men  luider  Junot  tt 
execute  his  sentence.  In  this  emergency  the  Prince 
Jlegent  resolved  on  retiring  to  Brazil. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  the  royal  family,  to  the 
number  of  fifteen,  including  the  poor  old  melancholy 
Q,ueen,  embarked  with  their  attendants,  and  set  sail 
with  httle  expectation  of  ever  returning  ;  the  British 
ships  fired  a  salute  ;  a  crowd  mournfully  watched  the 
retreating  vessels  ;  and  as  the  last  sail  was  disappeai 
ing  the  tread  of  armed  men  was  heard,  and  the  co\ 
umns  of  Junot  marched  into  Lisbon. 

Portugal  was  now  in  Napoleon's  grasp ;  but  the 
inhabitants,  instead  of  patiently  submitting,  speedily 
revolted.  An  English  army  under  Wellington  came 
to  their  assistance  ;  the  French  were  driven  out  of 
Portugal ;  and  the  house  of  Braganza  was,  after  an 
interval,  recalled. 

John  IV.  thereupon,  leaving  his  son,  Don  Pedro,  to 
govern  Brazil,  returned  to  occupy  his  ancestral  throne; 
and  on  his  death,  in  1828,  Don  Pedro  being  Emperor 
of  Brazil,  abdicated  the  crown  of  Portugal  in  favor 
of  his  daughter,  Donna  Maria.  But  her  uncle,  Don 
Miguel,  who  had  been  nominated  Regent,  on  return- 
X 


322  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— PORTUGAL. 

ing  from  his  travels  assumed  the  title  of  King,  and  the 
reign  commenced  with  troubles.  The  young  Glueen 
was  brought  for  safety  to  England,  till  1834,  when 
the  Pretender  being  driven  from  the  Peninsula,  she 
was  declared  of  age.  In  183G  she  gave  her  hand  to 
Prince  Ferdinand  of  Saxe  Coburg  (lotha;  and  the 
next  year  witnessed  the  birth  of  the  hopeful  youth 
who  now  wears  the  crown  of  Portugal. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HISTORY    OF    GERMANY    AND    AUSTRIA. 

The  Empire  of  the  West,  which  Charlemagne  haj 
constructed  at  so  great  a  cost  of  blood  and  treasure, 
fell  to  pieces  after  he  had  gone  to  the  grave  ;  and 
the  crown  of  Germany,  being  separated  from  that  of 
the  Frankish  monarchy,  was  worn  by  one  branch  of 
the  Carlovingian  race,  while  the  members  of  another 
were  enacting  the  part,  without  exercising  the  au- 
thority, of  Kings  on  the  banks  of  the  Sehie.  But  in 
911,  the  various  princes  of  Germany,  assuming  an 
attitude  of  nidependence,  elected  Conrad  of  Franconia 
to  the  Imperial  throne ;  and  he,  after  a  reign  ren- 
dered troublous  by  the  inroads  of  the  Hungarians, 
was  succeeded  by  Henry  of  Saxony,  surnamed  the 
Fowler. 

Previous  to  the  time  of  Charlemagne,  the  Germans 
considered  it  indicative  of  servitude  to  live  in  cities, 
and  argued  that  even  the  fiercest  animals  lost  their 
courage  when  confined.  The  prejudice  had  gradually 
worn  away ;  and  Henry,  in  order  to  resist  the  Hun- 
garian horsemen,  induced  his  subjects  to  build  towns, 
surrounded  them  with  ramparts,  fortified  them  with 


324      HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— GERMAN Y,  ETC. 

towers,  and  enjoined  a  certain  number  of  his  nobles, 
albeit  their  favorite  occupation  was  hunting,  to  reside 
within  the  walls. 

Otho  the  Great,  son  of  Henr}%  becoming  Emperor 
in  938,  checked  the  indefatigable  Hungarians,  render- 
ed Bohemia  tributary  to  the  Imperial  crown,  forced 
the  Danes  to  receive  baptism,  and,  on  the  invitation 
of  the  Pope,  marched  to  settle  the  afl'airs  of  Italy.  At 
Rome  he  was  crowned  Emperor,  dignified  with  the 
title  of  Ca!sar  Augustus,  and  invested  with  the  right 
of  nominating  the  Pope. 

The  son  and  grandson  of  Otho  having  successively 
enjoyed  the  Imperial  dignity,  it  was,  on  the  decease  of 
the  latter,  conferred  on  his  nephew,  Henry  of  Bavaria, 
who  asserted  by  arms  his  claim  to  the  sovereignty  of 
Italy. 

Conrad  II.,  Duke  of  Bavaria,  or  the  Salic,  next 
enjoyed  the  crown,  and  rendered  fiefs  hereditary.  By 
his  wife,  (lisella  of  Swabia,  he  had  a  son,  who  succeed- 
ed him,  in  the  person  of  Henry  III.,  sumamed  the 
Black ;  and  he,  being  a  prince  of  spirit  and  ability, 
vindicated  his  right  to  create  Popes,  nominated  three 
in  succession,  and  departing  this  life  in  10'5G,  left  an 
infant  son  of  his  own  name,  under  the  care  of  his 
widow,  Agues  of  Guienne. 

Henry  IV.  succeeded  to  the  Imperial  throne  on  the 
eve  of  a  great  and  momeiit(jus  struggle,  to  which  he 
was  sacrificed  from  his  youth  upward.  Being  carried 
ofi^from  his  widowed  mother  and  intrusted  to  intrigu- 


CAREER   OF   HILDEBRAND.  325 

ing  prelates,  his  young  mind  was  deliberately  cor- 
rupted ;  and  he  was  encouraged  to  indulge  in  vicious 
courses.  He  was  then  commanded  by  Pope  Alex- 
ander to  appear  before  the  tribunal  of  the  Holy  See, 
and  answer  for  his  debaucheries.  Henry  treated  this 
mandate  with  contempt ;  but,  soon  after,  Alexander 
died,  and  the  papal  throne  was  ascended  by  Hilde« 
brand,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  Europe  ever 
saw. 

Hildebrand,  the  son  of  a  carpenter  in  a  httle  town 
of  Tuscany,  had  risen  to  be  Prior  of  Clugny,  and  in 
that  capacity  become  conspicuous  for  austerity  and 
self-denial.  On  the  nomination  of  Leo  IX.  to  the 
papal  chair,  he  had  persuaded  that  pious  prelate  that 
an  Emperor  had  no  i^ht  to  create  a  Pope,  and  even 
prevailed  on  Leo's  successor  to  confer  on  the  College 
of  Cardinals  the  exclusive  right  of  voting  at  papal 
elections.  For  his  services  to  the  Church,  Hilde- 
brand had  successively  been  appointed  Cardinal  and 
Chancellor  of  the  Holy  See,  and,  in  1073,  he  was 
elected  as  Pope  by  the  Sacred  College.  But  before 
assuming  the  tiara,  he  obtained  the  youthful  Emper- 
or's assent,  and  then  assuming  the  title  of  (iregory 
Vn.  he  prepared  to  throw  off  his  mask,  and  execute 
his  mission  of  "  pulling  down  the  pride  of  kings."' 

Meantime  the  Saxon  subjects  of  the  Emperor,  on 
the  verge  of  revolt,  sent  deputies  to  demand  an  audi- 
ence of  him,  and  explain  their  grievances.  The  dep- 
uties found  Henry  engaged  with  a  game  of  hazard. 


326      HISTORY    FOR    BOY^S.— GERMANY,  ETC. 

and  he  contemptuously  bade  them  wait  till  it  was 
finished.  The  Saxons  indignantly  rose  in  arms  under 
Otho  of  Nordhim,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  Emperor 
was  a  fugitive.  A  Diet,  or  Assembly  of  the  States, 
was  held  to  depose  him,  and  bestow  the  crown  on 
Rodolph  of  Swabia ;  but  a  display  of  excessive  loy- 
alty on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  Worms  caused  the 
dissolution  of  the  Diet,  and  Henry,  panting  for  ven- 
geance, led,  in  the  depth  of  a  severe  winter,  his  gal- 
lant array  to  the  Saxon  frontier.  There,  however,  he 
found  the  insurgent  forces  of  Otho  so  much  superior  to 
his  own,  that  he  was  mider  the  necessity  of  capitula- 
ting ;  but  at  this  point,  the  great  feudatories  of  the  em- 
pire taking  up  his  quarrel,  Henry,  with  the  whole 
strength  of  Germany,  encountered  the  rebellious  Sax- 
ons on  the  banks  of  the  Unstrut,  and,  at  a  fearful  cost 
of  life,  gained  a  bloody  victory. 

Meanwhile,  Gregory,  having  enacted  a  law  for- 
bidding priests  to  marry,  and  another  precluding  kings 
from  the  right  of  investing  spiritual  dignitaries,  sent 
two  legates  to  cite  Henry  to  appear  before  him  for  his 
delinquencies,  in  continuing  to  bestow  and  sell  investi- 
tures. This  brought  the  dispute  between  the  Pope 
and  the  Emperor  to  a  crisis,  for  the  legates  being  un- 
ceremoniously dismissed,  and  a  Diet  held  at  Worms 
having  deposed  Hildebrand,  he,  in  retaliation,  excom- 
municated the  Emperor,  and  released  all  that  prince's 
subjects  from  their  oath  of  allegiance. 

It  was  about  the  opening  of  the  year  1076  that 


THE   POPE  AND   THE    EMPEROR.  327 

Henry,  returning  to  Utrecht  from  a  campaign  against 
the  revolted  Saxons,  became  aware  that  he  was  un- 
der the  papal  ban ;  and  in  autumn  a  Diet  held  at 
Tribur  decided  that,  in  the  event  ol"  the  Emperor  not 
being  received  into  the  bosom  of  the  Church  by  the 
following  February,  a  Diet  should  be  held  at  Augs- 
burg, and  his  crown  given  to  another.  Henry  there- 
upon took  up  his  residence  at  Spire,  where,  deserted 
by  his  courtiers,  he  was  consoled  by  his  injured,  but 
forgiving  wife — the  pure  and  faithfid  Bertha.  When 
months  had  worn  away,  and  the  Pope  still  refused  to 
receive  him  in  Italy  as  a  penitent,  the  proud  Emperor, 
assuming  the  garb  of  a  pilgrim,  and  accompanied  by 
Bertha,  with  their  infant  child  in  her  arms,  undertook, 
in  the  midst  of  a  singularly  severe  winter,  to  cross  the 
Alps,  which,  after  the  utmost  danger  and  fatigue,  they 
almost  miraculously  accomplished. 

About  the  end  of  January  the  Emperor  appeared 
as  a  humble  suppliant  at  the  gate  of  the  castle  of 
Canossa,  in  whose  feudal  halls  the  Pope  was  enjoy- 
ing the  hospitality  of  his  faithful  adherent,  Matilda, 
countess  of  Tuscany.  In  the  trenches  of  that  Italiair 
fortress,  while  the  Apennines  were  covered  with  snow 
and  the  mountain  streams  with  ice,  Henry,  cold,  fast- 
ing, barefoot,  and  unclad,  save  with  a  scanty  woolen 
garment,  stood  for  three  whole  days,  imploring,  with 
tears  of  agony  and  cries  for  mercy,  the  pity  of  Hilde- 
brand.  As  the  third  day  was  drawing  to  a  close,  the 
Pope  relaxed,  admitted  the  humiliated  Emperor  to  his 


328      HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,   ETC. 

presence,  and  after  subjecting  the  royal  victim  to  the 
depth  of  debasement,  revoked  the  papal  anathema. 

The  degradation  to  which  the  Emperor  had  been 
exposed  so  galled  his  subjects,  that  they  meditated  a 
removal  of  the  Imperial  crown  to  the  head  of  his 
mfant  son,  Conrad  ;  the  Saxons  having  elected  K.o- 
dolph  as  their  sovereign,  defeated  Henry  in  two  bat- 
tles ;  and  Hildebrand  once  more  pronounced  against 
him  the  sentence  of  exconununication.  But  the  Em- 
peror had  his  revenge  ;  for  his  rival,  Rodolph,  having 
fallen  in  battle  by  the  hand  of  Godfrey  of  Bouillon, 
and  the  Pope's  Norman  allies  being  absent  in  the 
East,  the  banners  of  Germany  were  suddenly  dis- 
played before  the  walls  of  Rome.  In  the  spring  of 
1084  the  besiegers  entered  the  Eternal  City."  Gregory 
took  refuge  in  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  and  Clement 
III.,  a  rival  pontiff,  placed  the  Imperial  crown  on 
Henry's  brow.  But  the  return  of  the  warlike  Nor- 
mans caused  the  Imperial  troops  to  retreat  with  pre- 
cipitation ;  while  the  Roman  citizens  rising  against 
his  allies,  compelled  Hildebrand  to  fly  for  shelter  to 
Salerno.  There,  broken  with  time  and  trouble,  he 
expired ;  and  his  last  words  were,  "  I  have  loved 
righteousness  and  hated  iniquity ;  therefore  I  die  in 
exile." 

Henry  returned  to  Germany,  where  he  reigned  for 
a  while  undisturbed  by  civil  war  ;  but  Pope  Pascal, 
aspirmg  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Hildebrand, 
incited  Henry,  the  Emperor's  eldest  son,  to  rebellion ; 


WAR  OF   INVESTITURE.  329 

and  the  youth  declaring  that  he  could  not  acknowl- 
edge as  king  or  father  a  man  who  was  excommu- 
nicated, treacherously  imprisoned  his  sire,  and  as- 
sembling a  Diet  was  proclaimed  in  his  stead.  Two 
prelates  were  sent  to  demand  the  regalia  from  the  de- 
posed Emperor ;  he,  receiving  them  in  his  symbols 
of  sovereignty,  refused ;  but,  laying  violent  hands  on 
him,  they  dragged  him  from  his  chair,  and  forcibly 
divested  him  of  the  regal  robes.  Poor  and  distressed, 
Henry  escaped  from  prison,  and  raised  a  considerable 
force  to  assert  his  rights ;  but  he  died  at  Liege  in 
1106,  before  active  operations  commenced.  His  body, 
denied  a  resting-place  in  consecrated  ground,  was  in- 
terred in  a  cave  near  Spire. 

Henry  V.,  though  indebted  to  the  Pope  for  support 
in  his  parricidal  rebellion,  was  no  sooner  established 
on  the  Imperial  throne,  than,  reviving  the  claim  of 
investiture  for  which  his  father  had  contended,  he 
invited  the  Pope  to  Germany,  that  they  might  settle 
the  dispute.  But  Pascal  having  appealed  to  the  King 
of  France,  and  a  fruitless  conference  having  been  held 
at  Chalons,  Henry  entered  Italy  with  eighty  thou- 
sand men,  and  after  a  tedious  interview  in  the  church 
of  St.  Peter,  ordered  his  guards  to  take  Pascal  into 
custody.  The  populace  of  Rome  rushed  to  the  Pope's 
rescue  ;  a  battle  was  fought  under  the  walls  ;  and  the 
carnage  was  so  terrible  that  the  waters  of  the  Tiber 
were  stained  with  blood.  Pascal,  taken  prisoner, 
crowned  the  Emperor,  and  confirmed  the  right  of  in- 


330      HISTORY    FOR    BOYS.— GERMANY,    ETC. 

vestiture  ;  but  hardly  had  Heniy  departed  when  the 
Pope  changed  liis  tune,  and  pronounced  a  sentence  of 
excommunication.  The  Emperor  once  more  entered 
Rome,  chased  the  Pope  to  the  territories  of  the  Nor- 
man princes,  and  marched  to  take  possession  of  Tus- 
cany, which  Matilda,  during  Hildebrand's  visit  to 
Canossa,  had  bequeathed  to  the  Church.  Mean- 
while Pascal  died,  and  the  States  of  the  Empire  hav- 
ing implored  Henrj'^  to  make  peace  with  the  new 
Pope,  a  Diet  was  held  at  Worms,  and  the  matter  ac- 
commodated. In  1125  a  pestilential  disease  carried 
Henry  to  the  grave ;  and  the  Imperial  dignity,  after 
being  enjoyed  till  1138  by  Lothario  II.,  was  bestowed 
iipon  Henrj'^'s  nephew,  Conrad,  duke  of  Franconia. 
A  rival  appeared  m  the  person  of  the  haughty  Duke 
of  Bavaria,  whose  followers  called  themselves  Guelphs, 
from  his  family  name ;  while  the  adherents  of  the 
Emperor  adopted  the  appellation  of  Ghibelines,  from 
Hieghibelin,  the  village  of  which  Frederick,  the  brother 
of  Conrad,  was  a  native.  Both  parties  took  up  arms, 
and  during  the  contest  a  romantic  incident  occurred 
at  the  siege  of  Weinsberg.  The  Guelphs  in  the  cas- 
tle, after  being  long  besieged,  yielded  on  condition  that 
the  Duke  of  Bavaria  and  his  officers  should  be  allowed 
to  retire  unmolested ;  but  the  noble  Duchess,  appre- 
hending a  breach  of  faith,  stipulated  that  she  and  the 
other  women  in  the  castle  should  be  allowed  to  come 
forth  and  be  conducted  to  a  place  of  safety,  with  as 
much  as  each  of  them  could  carry.      Conrad,  who  ex- 


THE   GUELPHS   AND   GHIBELINES.  331 

pected  to  see  the  ladies  loaded  with  jewels,  gold,  and 
silver,  was  in  no  small  degree  surprised  when  the 
Duchess  and  her  fair  comrades  appeared  carrying 
their  gallant  husbands ;  and  he  was  so  touched  at 
this  display  of  conjugal  affection,  that  he  granted 
most  favorable  terms  to  the  Guelphs. 

The  preaching  of  St.  Bernard,  though  in  French, 
and  therefore  unintelligible  to  the  Germans,  had  never- 
theless a  powerful  eflect  on  the  latter ;  and  Conrad, 
resolving  to  take  part  in  the  second  Crusade,  embarked 
with  a  mighty  army  :  but  being  betrayed  by  Greek 
guides  in  Asia  Minor,  his  forces  were  surprised  and 
defeated  amidst  the  defiles  of  Laodicea.  The  defeated 
Emperor,  returning  to  Europe,  died  in  1151,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Frederick  Barbarossa,  who 
was  soon  involved  in  a  struggle  with  Henry  the  Lion, 
duke  of  Saxony,  with  the  Italian  cities,  and  with  an- 
other enemy  infinitely  more  formidable  than  either. 

Early  in  the  twelfth  century,  Nicolas  Breakspear, 
an  English  mendicant,  was  strolling  about  from  place 
to  place,  when  chance  directed  his  vagrant  steps  to  the 
convent  of  St.  Rufus,  in  Provence,  where  the  canons 
received  him  as  a  servant.  Being  afterward  admitted 
as  a  monk,  Nicolas  rose  to  the  rank  of  Abbot.  In 
1154,  by  personal  merit  and  good  fortune,  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  beggar  was  placed  in  the  papal  chair  as 
Adrian  IV.,  and  before  crowning  Frederick  he  in- 
sisted that  the  Emperor  should  on  bended  knee  kiss  his 
foot,  hold  his  stirrup,  and  lead  his  white  mule  by  tho 


332      HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— GERMAN Y,   ETC. 

bridle  for  nine  paces.  Frederick  reluctantly  consented 
to  perform  the  ceremony  at  Venice  ;  but  purposely 
mistaking  the  stirrup,  he  remarked  with  a  sneer,  "  I 
have  yet  to  learn  the  business  of  a  groom." 

The  Emperor  proved  himself  an  able  politician  and 
a  stout  soldier.  To  abridge  the  power  of  the  mar- 
tial nobles,  he  followed  the  example  of  Louis  VI.  of 
France,  and  conferred  charters  of  community,  which 
enfranchised  the  people  and  formed  them  into  corpo- 
rations. 

Going  to  the  third  Crusade,  this  great  ruler  was 
drowned  in  crossing  the  river  SenelT,  and  succeeded 
on  the  Imperial  throne  by  his  son,  Henry  VI.,  who  was 
speedily  involved  in  Italian  wars. 

A  few  years  earlier  the  throne  of  Sicily  had  been 
filled  by  "William,  a  king  of  the  Guiscard  line,  who 
had  espoused  Joan,  a  sister  of  Richard  of  England, 
without  being  blessed  with  heirs.  William,  however, 
had  an  aunt,  named  Constance,  whose  chance  of  being 
queen  appeared  so  certauT,  that  Henry,  who  was  at 
once  poor  and  avaricious,  wedded,  with  great  pomp, 
the  princess,  though  she  was  thirty-two — an  advanced 
age  for  a  royal  Italian  bride.  But  when  "VVilham  died, 
so  strong  was  the  prejudice  against  a  female  sovereign, 
that  his  illegitimate  son  Tancred  was  proclaimed  King. 
Henry  prepared  to  assert  his  claim,  but  the  lion- 
hearted  King  of  England,  on  his  way  to  Palestine, 
arrived  at  Sicily,  and  indignant  to  find  liis  sister 
deprived  at  once  of  her  dower  and  her  freedom,  com- 


^ 


«l|!c^sP'  mk-:-m 


KREDEUICK    BARBAROSSA    AND    POPE    ADRIAN. 


i 


i 


THE   EMPEROR  IN    srCILY.  33a 

menced  aggressions.  Subsequently,  however,  Richard 
concluded  with  Tancred  a  league,  offensive  and  defen- 
sive, and  the  Emperor,  however  he  might  have  dealt 
with  the  Sicilian  King,  had  no  fancy  for  playing  at  the 
game  of  carnage  with  Richard  Caiir  de  Lion.  He 
therefore  waited  till  the  English  King's  departure,  and 
entering  Italy,  laid  siege  to  Naples  in  the  sunmicr 
of  1091  ;  but  when  a  fever,  which  carried  off  a  large 
portion  of  his  array,  prostrated  himself,  the  Emperor, 
in  alarm,  raised  the  siege,  and  executed  an  inglorious 
retreat.  But  he  treasured  up  his  malice,  and  his  day 
of  triumph  came. 

When  Richard  had  been  seized,  imprisoned,  and 
forced  to  pay  an  enormous  ransom,  Tancred  died,  and 
his  son  was  placed  on  the  throne.  Availing  himself 
of  the  money  extorted  from  Richard,  Heniy — who  had 
meanwhile  incorporated  into  a  regular  order  the  Teu- 
tonic Imights,  originally  destined  for  the  service  of  the 
sick  in  Palestine,  and  built  for  them  a  house  at  Cob- 
lentz — announced  his  resolution  of  undertaking  a  Cru- 
sade. But  instead  of  going  to  the  Holy  Land,  he 
marched  into  Sicily,  the  throne  of  which  he  seized, 
after  perpetrating  revolting  cruelties.  At  length,  one 
of  the  Norman  princes  having  been  tied  naked  to  a 
chair  of  red-hot  iron,  and  crowned  with  a  circle  of  the 
same  burning  metal,  the  Empress  in  disgust  turned 
against  her  husband,  incited  the  inhabitants  to  rebel, 
and  imposed  upon  him  the  most  humiliating  conditions. 
Henry  died  at  Messina,  poisoned,  as  was  said,  by  his 


30r,      HISTORY   FOR    BOYS.— GERMANY,    ETC. 

Italian  spouse,  and  his- son,  Frederick  II.,  was  placed 
on  the  Imperial  throne  ;  but  the  German  princes,  in- 
digfnant  at  seeinj;  the  crown  become  hereditarv',  hem  a 
Diet  at  Cologne,  and  elected  Otho,  duke  of  Brunswick, 
son  of  Henry  the  Lion.  Civil  war  arose  between  the 
princes,  and  Otho  lY.  was  crowned  at  Rome  by  the 
Pope  ;  but  Frederick  allied  himself  with  Philip  Au- 
gustus, king  of  France,  who  at  the  village  of  Bovines, 
in  1214,  totally  defeated  and  ruined  the  rival.  Upon 
this  disaster  Otho  retired  to  Brunswick,  where  he 
became  a  devotee ;  while  Frederick,  having  been 
crowned  with  unwonted  magnificence,  afterward  un- 
dertook a  Crusade  without  the  papal  sanction,  and  on 
his  return  was  excommunicated  by  Gregory  IX.  From 
that  period  his  life  was  one  long  and  vexatious  strug- 
gle with  the  Popes  ;  the  Dominican  friars  preached  a 
holy  war  against  him  ;  a  defeat  before  Parma  made 
him  retire  to  recruit  his  army  in  Sicily  ;  and  there  he 
died  in  the  year  1251. 

His  son  Conrad,  last  Emperor  of  the  house  of 
Swabia,  assumed  the  Imperial  title ;  but  after  his 
death,  in  1254,  there  was  an  interregiuim  of  several 
years,  during  which  Richard,  earl  of  Cornwall,  brother 
of  Henry  III.  of  England,  spent  large  sums  to  secure 
his  election  as  King  of  the  Romans,  which  he  deemed 
a  certain  step  to  the  Imperial  dignity  ;  but  several  of 
the  Electors  being  favorable  to  Alphouso,  king  of 
Castile,  Richard's  aspiration  was  not  fulfilled. 

At  length,  in  1274,  the  German  princes,  though 


KIS£.    UF    THE    HOUSE   OF   HAPSHURG.        337 

iinputieut  of  subordination,  willing  that  the  throne 
should  be  occupied  by  an  emperor  whose  influence  was 
not  such  as  to  excite  their  jealousy,  elected  Rodolph 
of  Hapsburg,  a  Swiss  baron  ;  but  the  King  of  Bohemia, 
of  whose  household  Rodolph  had  been  steward,  im- 
able  to  brook  the  sovereignty  of  his  former  inferior, 
not  only  refused  homage  for  his  fiefs,  but  seized  on 
the  Duchy  of  Austria.  He  was  soon  compelled  to  give 
up  Austria  and  do  homage  for  Bohemia  and  Moravia, 
but  bargained  for  the  latter  ceremony  being  performed 
in  private.  To  gratify  him  in  this  particular,  a  close 
pavilion  was  erected  on  the  small  island  of  Cumberg, 
and  thither  came  the  Bohemian,  decked  with  gold  and 
jewels,  while  the  Emperor  appeared  in  plain  and 
simple  habiliments.  The  Bohemian  was  nervously 
anxious  to  avoid  a  public  scene  ;  but  at  a  critical 
moment  the  curtains  of  the  pavilion,  falling  aside, 
revealed  to  thousands  of  soldiers  the  proud  King  on 
bended  knee  before  his  fonner  steward.  Incited  by  a 
haughty  spouse,  he  renounced  his  allegiance  ;  but  the 
Emperor  taking  the  field,  slew  the  hapless  King  in 
battle,  and,  to  aggrandize  the  house  of  Hapsburg,  be- 
stowed Austria  on  his  second  son,  Count  Albert. 

Adolph  of  Nassau  being  next  elected  Emperor, 
Count  Albert  of  Austria,  incited  by  Philip  IV.  of 
France,  and  supported  by  a  minority  of  the  Electors, 
rose  in  arms,  slew  Adolph  in  a  battle  at  Spire,  and 
was  soon  after  crowned  as  Emperor.  Thereupon 
Pope  Boniface  summoned  him  to  answer  for  Adolph's 
Y 


338      HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,  ETC. 

murder  ;  but  a  bitter  feud  arising  between  the  French 
King  and  the  Pope,  the  latter  found  it  convenient  to 
court  Albert's  alliance,  and  transferred  to  him  the 
sovereignty  of  France.  However,  Albert  soon  had  his 
hands  full  at  home ;  for  having,  as  hereditary  sove- 
reign of  several  Swiss  cantons,  made  an  attempt  to 
seize  the  whole  of  the  provinces,  the  natives  combined, 
and  with  a  small  army  won  successive  victories. 

The  end  of  Albert  was  particularly  tragical.  In 
1309  he  was  walking  one  day  on  the  banks  of  the 
Russ,  when  his  companion,  a  nephew,  whose  patri- 
mony he  had  unjustly  retained,  drawing  his  sword,  in- 
flicted a  mortal  wound  ;  and  the  Electors  raised  to  the 
throne  Henry  of  Luxembourg,  the  most  rcnow^ned 
knight  of  an  age  which  boasted  of  E,obert  Bruce  and 
Giles  de  Argentine.  The  martial  Emperor  having 
avenged  his  predecessor's  assassination,  fought  his  way 
to  Rome,  imposed  a  tribute  on  the  Italian  States,  and 
died  in  1314  ;  poisoned,  as  was  supposed,  by  emisea- 
ries  of  the  Pope.  Louis  of  Bavaria  was  then  elected  ; 
and,  after  a  long  dispute,  defeated  and  captured  Fred- 
crick  the  Handsome,  of  Austria.  But  successive  Popes 
proved  his  mortal  foes ;  and  though  the  death  of  his 
Austrian  competitor  left  Louis  without  a  rival,  Bene- 
dict XII.,  who  resided  at  Avignon,  vindictively  pur- 
sued him  to  the  grave.  His  subjects  were  made  to 
choose  between  their  sovereign  and  the  pontiff:  dis- 
cord and  disorder  loosened  the  frame-work  of  society  ; 
and  the  fraternity  known  as  the  Friends  of  God,  by  the 


THE   GOLDEN    BULL.  339 

(Spread  of  their  doctrines,  prepared  the  way  for  that 
rehgious  reformation  which  was  accomphshed  in  the 
following  ccntuiy. 

On  the  death  of  Louis,  in  1318,  the  King  of 
Bohemia,  favored  by  the  Pope,  obtained  the  vacant 
throne,  with  the  title  of  Charles  IV.  This  Emperor 
issued  the  celebrated  Golden  Bull,  which  limited  the 
number  of  Electors  to  seven,  because  of  the  seven 
mortal  sins  and  the  candlestick  with  seven  branches. 
The  publication  was  signalized  by  an  ostentatious 
ceremony,  in  which  the  Electors  took  their  appropriate 
parts  as  hereditary  officers.  The  Archbishops  of  Mentz, 
Cologne,  and  Triers,  carried  the  Imperial  seals  of 
Germany,  Italy,  and  Gaul ;  the  Duke  of  Luxembourg, 
as  proxy  of  the  Bohemian  King,  officiated  as  cup- 
bearer, and  pom-ed  wine  from  a  golden  flagon  into 
the  Emperor's  golden  cup  ;  the  Duke  of  Saxony,  as 
grand-marshal,  appeared  with  a  silver  measure  of 
oats  ;  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg  presented  the  Em- 
peror and  Empress  with  water  in  basins  of  gold  ;  and 
the  Count  Palatine,  in  presence  of  the  great  officers 
of  state,  served  up  the  viands  in  dishes  of  the  most 
precious  metal. 

The  Emperor  Maximihan,  known  as  the  Moneyless, 
described  Charles  as  "the  pest  of  the  empire,"  and  not 
without  cause ;  for  he  first  dissipated  the  Imperial 
territories  in  Italy,  and  in  1376,  to  secure  the  election 
of  his  son,  Wenceslaus,  as  King  of  the  Romans,  he 
promised   each  of  the  Electors  a  hundred   thousand 


3 JO     HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,   ETC. 

crowns.  Unable  to  pay  so  large  a  sum,  he  alienated 
the  ample  Imperial  domain  which  stretched  along  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine  from  Basil  to  Cologne,  and  dying 
in  1378,  Avas  succeeded  by  the  son  for  whom  he  had 
made  so  great  a  sacrifice. 

Wenccslaus  proved  himself  the  most  cruel  and  vi- 
cious of  mankind.  He  is  said  to  have  walked  the 
streets  with  an  executioner  to  put  to  death  such  persons 
as  incurred  his  dislike,  to  have  drowned  in  the  Moldau 
a  monk  who  refused  to  reveal  the  confessions  of  his 
wife,  the  Gluecn  of  Bohemia,  and  even  to  have,  in  an 
hour  of  intoxication,  ordered  his  cook  to  be  roasted 
alive.  The  tyrant  was,  in  consequence  of  his  gross  in- 
capacity, deprived  of  the  Imperial  crown,  which  was 
given  to  Robert,  the  Count  Palatine  ;  and  he,  in  his 
turn,  was  succeeded  by  Sigismund,  brother  of  "VVences- 
laus,  and  King  of  Hungary. 

Christendom  was  at  that  period  scandalized  by  the 
great  schism  of  the  West,  produced  by  the  cardmals 
having  elected  three  rival  popes — each  considering 
himself  endowed  with  all  the  attributes  which  Hilde- 
brand  had  claimed  for  the  Vicar  of  Christ ;  and  Sigis- 
mund, eager  to  settle  the  controversy,  visited  England 
to  consult  Henry  V.  But  finding  that  hero  wholly 
occupied  with  French  wars,  the  Emperor  returned, 
and  in  1418  summoned  the  Council  of  Constance, 
which  settled  the  dispute  by  degrading  the  three  rivals 
and  electing  Martin  V. 

The  new  pontiff  was  installed  by  an  imposing  cere- 


THE  COUNCIL  OF   CONSTANCE.  341 

mony.  Arrayed  m  pontifical  vestments,  he  mounted 
a  richly-caparisoned  mule,  which  was  led  hy  the  reins, 
with  due  solemnity,  by  the  Emperor  and  the  Elector 
of  Brandenburg.  A  magnificent  canopy  was  held  over 
the  Pope's  head  by  four  Counts  ;  several  princes  walked 
around ;  and  forty  thousand  equestrians  took  part  in 
the  procession.  The  Council  then  went  to  more  serious 
work,  and  summoned  John  Huss,  a  disciple  of  "VYic- 
lifie.  Huss,  after  defending  the  articles  of  his  faith, 
was  declared  a  heretic,  stripped  of  his  sacerdotal  habit, 
crowned  with  a  mitre  of  paper,  on  which  were  painted 
three  devils,  and  condemned  to  be  burned  with  his 
virritings.  The  victim  died  praising  God,  and  was 
followed  to  the  stake  by  Jerome  of  Prague. 

"When  Sigismund  went  down  to  his  tomb  in  143C, 
his  son-in-law,  Albert  of  Austria,  who  inherited  the 
crowns  of  Hungary  and  Bohemia,  was  raised  to  the 
Imperial  throne  ;  and  after  dividing  Germany  into  six 
circles,  each  regulated  by  a  Diet,  he  was  succeeded  by 
his  cousin,  Frederick  HI.  At  the  beginning  of  this 
long  and  languid  reign,  while  war  was  raging  between 
the  Turks  and  Hmigarians,  John  Guttenberg  invented 
at  Strasburg  the  art  of  printing,  which  brought  into 
operation  the  power  of  the  pen ;  and  that  potent 
weapon  being,  on  the  revival  of  learning,  directed 
first  against  spiritual,  and  then  against  temporal 
despotism,  materially  influenced  those  revolutions 
which  have  gradually  removed  ancient  landmarks, 
and  changed  the  face  of  Continental  Europe. 


342     HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,  ETC. 

Maximilian  I.  succeeded  his  brother  Frederick  in 
1493,  and,  to  terminate  the  calamities  created  by  pri- 
vate feuds,  instituted,  at  the  stately  city  of  Franklbrt, 
the  Imperial  Chamber,  consisting  of  a  president  ap- 
pointed by  the  Emperor,  and  sixteen  judges,  chosen 
by  him  and  the  States ;  and  he  prevailed  on  the  Diet 
to  consent  to  the  Aulic  Council  as  the  Emperor's  Court, 
and  without  appeal.  After  wearing  the  crown  with 
honor,  and  exhibiting  much  enthusiasm  for  science 
and  literature,  Maximih an,  in  1519,  disappeared  from 
the  stage  of  affairs  on  the  eve  of  great  events ;  and 
his  grandson  Charles,  the  juvenile  King  of  Spain,  who 
inherited  Austria,  became  a  candidate  for  the  Imperial 
dignity.  In  this  he  was  opposed  by  Francis  I.,  whose 
embassadors  impressed  upon  the  Electors  the  necessily 
of  showing  that  the  empire  was  not  an  heir-loom  in 
the  house  of  Austria ;  and  the  Electors,  with  whom 
it  was  a  rule  not  to  select  any  prince  already  occupy- 
ing an  important  position,  caring  little  for  either  can- 
didate, laid  the  diadem  at  the  feet  of  Frederick  of 
Saxony,  a  man  of  great  prudence  and  popularity. 
Frederick,  however,  declined  the  distinction,  and  re- 
commended them  to  choose  the  King  of  Spain,  who 
was  accordingly  elected  on  28th  June,  1520,  and 
crowned  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  the  following  October. 
Thirty-seven  years  before  that  important  event, 
the  wife  of  a  miner,  named  Luther  (a  worthy,  stu- 
dious, and  stubborn  man),  had,  in  the  little  town  of 
Eisleben,  become  the  mother  of  a  boy,  who  was  named 


CAREER  OF   LUTHER.  V43 

Martin,  from  having  been  born  on  St.  Martin's  Eve. 
Removed  iu  infancy  to  Mansfeld,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Vipper,  young  Luther,  while  standing  by  his  father's 
forge,  or  accompanying  his  mother  to  gather  fagots  in 
the  forest,  indulged  in  the  anticipation  of  becoming  a 
scholar,  and  being  sent,  after  some  preparatory  train- 
ing, to  Erfurt,  he  excited  by  his  intellectual  powers 
the  admiration  of  the  whole  university.  One  day, 
while  reading  keenly  in  the  library,  he  came  upon  a 
Latin  copy  of  the  Bible,  the  pages  of  M'hich  he  pe- 
rused with  breathless  interest ;  and  resolving  iipon  a 
monastic  life,  he  entered  the  Convent  of  St.  Augustine 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  After  spending  three  years 
in  the  cloister,  Luther  accepted  a  professorship  in  the 
University  of  Wittemberg,  which  Frederick,  the  Elector 
of  Saxony,  had  founded.  And  in  1512  being  sent  as 
envoy  to  Rome,  where  Pope  Julius  then  reigned,  and 
his  monastic  illusions  vanishing  into  air,  he  commenced 
his  career  as  a  Reformer,  and  was  excommunicated 
by  Leo  X.,  who  did  not  like  his  hunting,  shooting,  and 
fishing  to  be  disturbed  by  heretics.  Luther  retaliated 
by  publishing  the  "Babylonish  Captivity;"  and  the 
book  being  burned,  he,  in  1520,  publicly  committed 
to  the  flames  the  Pope's  bull  and  decretals. 

The  popular  spirit  in  Germany  was  in  Luther'a 
favor  ;  for  though,  from  the  days  of  Louis  of  Bavaria, 
the  Emperors  had  acknowledged  the  ascendency  of  the 
Popes,  the  people  had  exhibited  "an  increasing  dislike 
to  the  yoke  of  Rome,  and  in  1512  the  populace  of  the 


344      HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,  ETC. 

Rheiiish  provinces  had  displayed  their  discontent  by 
forming  the  League  of  Shoes.  Maximihan,  it  appears, 
had  not  manifested  any  disUke  to  the  professors  of  the 
new  faith  ;  but  Charles  V.  had  inherited  enough  of 
Spanish  bigotry  to  decide  his  opinions,  and  in  1521 
he  summoned  Luther  to  appear  before  the  Diet  of 
Worms,  and  answer  for  his  doctrines.  The  bold  Re- 
former soon  arrived  from  Wittemberg  in  a  wagon,  de- 
fended himself  with  gi-eat  spirit,  and  afterward  es- 
caped into  Saxony,  where,  secured  by  his  friend  the 
Elector  in  the  fortress  of  "VYartburg,  while  branded  by 
the  Pope  as  "  a  viper  of  hell,"  he  commenced  liis 
translation  of  the  Bible.  And  matters  did  not  rest 
there,  for  the  mind  of  Europe  was  in  agitation. 

"While,  iu  England,  Henry  was  attacking  alike  the 
Catholics  and  Protestants ;  while,  in  Scotland,  Car- 
dinal Beaton  was  feasting  his  eyes  with  the  buniing 
of  heretics ;  while,  in  France,  the  brave  and  glory- 
loving  Francis  was  sullying  his  fame  by  consenting  to 
the  villages  of  the  Vaudois  being  converted  into  a  des- 
ert waste  ;  the  Emperor  Charles  was  by  no  means  in- 
different to  the  interest  of  the  Romish  Church  within 
the  Imperial  dominions.  And  when  freed  by  the 
death  of  his  impetuous  rival  from  apprehensions  of 
war,  he  gained,  at  Muhlberg,  a  victory  over  the  Con- 
federates at  Smalcalde,  which  placed  the  venerable 
Frederick  of  Saxony  in  his  power.  Strangely,  at  that 
crisis,  the  Lutherans  turned  for  aid  to  Henry  H.  of 
France,  who,  though  bent  on  persecution  at  home,  on 


THE   REFORMATION  345 

certain  conditions  proclaimed  himself  their  champion. 
But  ere  his  services  could  he  rendered,  Maurice  of 
Saxony,  to  whom  Charles  had  given  the  Electorate, 
preferring  to  be  a  chief  of  the  Protestants  to  figuring 
as  the  Emperor's  creature,  after  much  dissimulation 
marched  on  Inspruck,  and  almost  succeeded  in  cap- 
turing Charles,  who,  after  escaping  over  the  Alps  in 
a  litter,  sick  and  solitary,  signed  the  Convention  of 
Passau,  which  was  converted  into  a  definitive  peace 
in  1552 — the  era  of  religious  hberty  in  Germany. 

At  the  close  of  this  war,  weary  of  the  world,  the 
great  Emperor,  having  previously  abdicated  the  Span- 
ish throne  in  favor  of  his  son  Philip,  resigned  the  Im- 
perial crown  to  his  brother  Ferdinand,  king  of  the 
Romans.  After  a  reign  of  eight  years,  that  prince 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Maximilian  II.,  who  died 
in  1596,  while  preparing  to  support  his  election  as 
King  of  Poland. 

Rodolph  II.,  son  of  Maximilian,  was  so  entirely  de- 
voted to  the  study  of  astronomy  and  astrology  that  he 
saw  with  indifierence  his  dominions  usurped  by  his 
brother  Matthias,  who,  succeeding  to  the  Empire  in 
1G12,  procured  the  election  of  his  cousin  Ferdinand  to 
the  thrones  of  Hungary  and  Bohemia.  Both  nations 
revolted,  and  the  Hungarians  were  appeased  ;  but 
Ferdinand  was  a  pupil  of  the  Jesuits,  and  the  Bohe- 
mian Protestants,  to  whom  he  was  obnoxious,  ad- 
vanced in  arms  to  the  gates  of  Vienna  ;  and,  while 
Matthias  was  on  his  dying  bed,  commenced  that  ter- 


346      HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY.  ETC. 

rible  conflict  known  in  history  as  tlie  Thirty  Years' 
AYar. 

Ferdinand,  though  elevated  to  the  Imperial  throne, 
was  sternly  rejected  by  the  Bohemians,  who  ofiered 
their  crown  to  Frederick,  the  Elector  Palatine,  and 
Bon-in-law  of  the  first  James  of  England.  Frederick, 
proceeding  to  Prague,  accepted  the  gift,  but  rashly,  as 
it  soon  appeared  ;  for  in  November,  1G20,  the  Impe- 
rialists coming  thither,  under  Tilly,  inflicted  a  defeat, 
which  made  the  Elector  and  his  fair  spouse,  whom 
men  called  the  Gtueen  of  Hearts,  fly  to  the  Hague, 
while  their  friends  surrendered  town  after  town  in 
the  Palatinate  to  the  Italian  general  Spinola.  The 
Duke  of  Bavaria,  ere  long,  took  possession  of  the 
Electorate ;  and  its  hereditary  sovereign,  homeless 
and  houseless,  in  spite  of  the  alliance  of  the  King  of 
Denmark,  remained  a  pensioner  on  Dutch  bounty  at 
the  Hague. 

The  tyranny  of  Ferdinand  speedily  led  to  the  con- 
federacy of  Leipsic,  of  which  Gustavus  Adolphus,  the 
heroic  King  of  Sweden,  was  chief  After  bearing  thg 
banner  of  Protestantism  in  triumph  through  Germany, 
that  Lion  of  the  North  fell  in  the  battle  of  Lutzen, 
and  the  fortunes  of  the  Elector  seemed  desperate.  But 
when  the  Emperor  had  closed  his  checkered  career, 
and  been  succeeded  by  his  son  Ferdinand  III.,  and 
when  Germany  was  suflering  from  famine  and  pov- 
erty, the  consequence  of  the  long  war,  the  Protestants, 
with  the  aid  of  France,  found  matters  assuming  a 


THE   THIRTY  YEARS'  WAR.  347 

moie  favorable  aspect.  Turenne  won  the  battle  of 
Somnierhauseu  ;  Wrangel  captured  Prague  ;  and  the 
great  Conde's  victory  at  Lens,  where  the  Archduke 
Leopold,  brother  of  the  Emperor,  had  his  anny  routed, 
compelled  Ferdinand  to  consent  to  the  Peace  of  West- 
phalia, by  which  the  Palatine  family  were  restored 
and  religious  equality  decreed. 

The  peace  was  grateful  to  the  inhabitants  after 
their  long  struggle.  Their  losses  were  gradually  re- 
paured,  their  lands  cultivated,  and  their  towns  rebuilt ; 
but  on  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  and  the  accession  of 
his  unamiable  son,  Leopold,  in  1658,  the  Hungarians 
rose  in  insurrection,  made  Tekeli  their  prince,  and 
called  in  the  Turks  to  their  aid.  The  reigning  Sul- 
tan, in  1G83,  raised  the  most  formidable  force  ever 
sent  against  Christendom  ;  and  Lorrain,  the  Imperial 
general,  retired  before  the  Turkish  crescent.  Leopold 
and  his  household  fled  from  Vienna  ;  two-thirds  of  the 
inhabitants  followed  ;  the  city  was  besieged  ;  and  it 
would  have  fallen  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  John 
Sobieski,  king  of  Poland,  who  defeated  the  invaders 
and  took  the  famous  standard  of  Mohammed,  which 
was  sent  as  a  present  to  the  Pope.  Fearful  was  the 
vengeance  which  Leopold  now  took  on  the  Hungari- 
ans. A  scaflbld,  erected  in  the  market-place  of  Epc 
ries,  stood  there  so  many  months,  that  the  execution- 
ers were  weary  of  victims.  At  length,  the  Hungarian 
nobles  having  been  summoned  to  Vienna,  declared 
the  cvovn  hereditary  :    the  Stater,  at   Presburg  con- 


348      HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,  ETC. 

firmed  that  decree ;  and  the  Emperors  sou,  Joseph, 
at  the  age  of  nuie,  was  acknowledged  as  King  of  Hun- 
gary. 

When  Charles,  king  of  Spain,  breathed  his  last, 
without  heirs,  and  Louis  XIV.  sent  his  grandson 
Philip  V.  to  Madrid,  Leopold,  whose  mother  was 
daughter  of  Philip  IIL,  claimed  the  Spanish  throne 
for  his  second  son,  the  Archduke  Charles.  England, 
as  has  been  stated,  supported  the  Austrian  claim,  and 
the  war  was  still  raging,  when,  in  1705,  Leopold 
dying,  was  succeeded  on  the  Imperial  throne  by  his 
son  Joseph,  who  seized  Mantua  and  Milan,  assailed 
the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope,  and  made  every 
thing  bend  to  his  power.  In  the  midst  of  his  suc- 
cesses he  expired,  in  1711,  and  Charles  VI.,  whom 
the  Alhes  were  attempting  to  place  on  the  Spanish 
throne,  having  obtained  the  Imperial  crown,  the 
Treaty  of  Utrecht  terminated  the  AVar  of  Succession. 
To  that  treaty  Charles  at  first  refused  his  assent ; 
but  when  a  French  army  imder  Marshal  Villars  had 
passed  the  Rhine,  he  acceded  to  the  views  of  the  Al- 
lies, and  obtained  Milan,  Naples,  and  the  Nether- 
lands. 

One  of  the  greatest  and  most  successful  captains  of 
that  age  was  Prince  Eugene.  His  father  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  house  of  Savoy,  and  his  mother  a  niece  of 
Cardinal  Mazarin,  he  applied  to  Louis  XIV.  first  for 
an  abbey,  and  then  for  a  regiment.  The  Grand  Mon- 
arch, little  understanding  the  applicant's  character. 


MARIA  THERESA.  349 

refused  in  both  cases.  Prince  Eugene,  taking  service 
with  the  Emperor,  was  associated  with  the  iUustrious 
Marlborough  in  those  brilhant  victories  that  have 
made  the  name  of  the  "  handsome  Enghshman"  im- 
mortal, had  the  distinction  of  expelling  the  French 
from  Italy,  and  in  1717,  undertook  the  memorable 
siege  of  Belgrade,  the  strongest  castle  in  Europe.  Sur- 
rounded in  his  camp  by  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
Turks,  he  routed  them  with  immense  slaughter,  and 
captured  the  place,  which  remained  in  possession  of 
Austria  for  twenty-two  years. 

Charles,  anxious  that  the  hereditary  dominions  of 
the  house  of  Austria  should  be  settled  on  his  daugh- 
ter, the  celebrated  Maria  Theresa,  obtained  the  assent 
of  the  European  powers  to  a  Pragmatic  Sanction.  But 
hardly  had  his  eyes  closed,  in  1740,  when  events 
verified  the  observation  of  Prince  Eugene  :  "  The  best 
guarantee  in  this  case  would  be  an  army  of  a  hundred 
thousand  men."  Frederick  the  Great,  king  of  Prus- 
sia, claimed  Silesia,  captured  Breslau,  after  winning 
the  battle  of  Molwitz  ;  while  Charles  of  Bavaria, 
whom  Louis  XV.  had  caused  to  be  crowned  as  King 
of  Bohemia,  was  chosen  Emperor,  with  the  title  of 
Charles  VII.  But  Maria  Theresa,  though  deserted  by 
her  allies,  was  a  woman  of  too  high  spirit  to  be  daunt- 
ed by  adverse  circumstances.  She  convoked  the  States 
of  Hungary,  and  taking  her  infant  son  in  her  arms, 
addressed  the  assembly  in  Latin,  the  idiom  of  the 
States — "  I  place  in   your   hands,"    she  said,   "  the 


350      HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— GERMANY,   ETC. 

daughter  and  son  of  your  kings.     They  look  to  you  fo< 
succor,  and  depend  on  you  for  safety." 

The  Hungarian  nobles,  too  chivalrous  to  resist  sucli 
an  appeal  from  such  lips,  drew  their  glittering  swords, 
and  exclaimed  with  one  accord,  "  We  will  die  for  oul 
Q,ueen,"  and  levied  an  army  which  brought  her  enc- 
raies  to  reason.  At  length,  after  an  English  army 
had  won  the  battle  of  Dettingen,  and  Charles  VII.  had 
been  removed  by  death,  peace  was  restored,  and  the 
husband  of  the  popular  Q,ueen  was  raised,  in  1715,  to 
the  Imperial  throne,  with  the  title  of  Francis  1.  But, 
in  1756,  the  Seven  Years'  War  breaking  out  between 
France  and  England,  Maria  Theresa,  regretting  the 
cession  of  Silesia  to  the  Prussian  King,  flattered  the 
vanity  of  Madame  Pompadour,  and  secured  the  aid  of 
France.  The  skill  and  intrepid  courage  of  Frederick 
prevailed,  and  after  seven  bloody  campaigns  he  signed 
a  peace  with  the  Empress-(clueen. 

On  the  death  of  his  father,  Joseph,  the  son  of  Maria 
Theresa,  ascended  the  Imperial  throne,  and  issued  some 
oppressive  edicts  against  the  Netherlands,  which  his 
grandfather  had  acquired  at  the  close  of  the  Spanish 
war.  The  inhabitants  had  been  contented  under  the 
rule  of  Maria  Theresa,  but  revolted  against  Joseph's 
tyranny ;  and  terrible  was  the  punishment.  Their 
houses  were  ruthlessly  entered  at  midnight ;  women 
and  their  infants  were  slain  with  one  bayonet ;  and 
their  husbands  were,  without  trial,  carried  olf  prisoners 
to  Vienna  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube.     These  cruel- 


EMPIRE  OF  AUSTRIA.  351 

ties  prompted  the  Netherlands  to  declare  themselves 
forever  released  from  Austrian  sway,  and  to  treat 
every  ofler  of  indemnity  with  contempt. 

This  Emperor's  conduct  was  otherwise  praisewor- 
thy ;  he  abolished  the  system  ot"  torture,  with  servi- 
tude and  villanage,  granted  a  liberal  toleration  in  re- 
ligion, and  was  easy  and  afliible  in  communicating 
with  his  subjects.  He  was  succeeded  in  1790  by  his 
brother  Leopold,  who,  during  his  brief  reign,  restored 
tranquillity  in  the  Netherlands,  and  was  hesitating 
about  the  course  he  should  pursue  toward  revolu- 
tionary France  when  he  died,  in  1792. 

Francis  II.  then  succeeded  his  father,  and  took  a 
conspicuous  part  in  the  struggle,  as  has  already  been 
related.  But  in  180G,  when  fourteen  princes  of  Ger- 
many formed  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  and  ac- 
knowledged the  victorious  Napoleon  as  their  protector, 
Francis,  finding  hmiself  deprived  of  all  his  honors  as 
head  of  the  Germanic  body,  abandoned  the  ancient 
title,  and  styled  himself  Emperor  of  Austria. 

When  Napoleon,  after  making  the  kings  of  the  earth 
bow  down  before  his  mighty  energies,  fell  in  1814, 
Vienna,  the  capital  of  the  new  empire,  was  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  most  important  assemblies  of  modern 
days.  There  the  Emperors  of  Austria  and  Russia,  the 
King  of  Prussia,  and  many  of  the  Germanic  princes, 
met  the  representatives  of  England  and  France,  to 
establish  the  territorial  limits  of  the  Continental  States 
upon   recognized  principles   of  international   policy. 


35a      HISTORY    FOli    BUVS— GERMAN Y,  ETC. 

That  was  the  celebrated  Congress  of  Vienna ;  and 
while  withholdnig  the  Netherlands  from  Austria,  it 
restored  Lombardy,  and  added  thereto  all  the  ancient 
possessions  of  the  far-famed  Venetian  republic.  The 
Germanic  Confederation  was  likewise  dealt  with,  and 
something  done  toward  harmonizing  the  interests  of 
the  independent  states  into  a  nationality. 

The  Emperor  Francis  died  in  1835,  after  an  event- 
ful reign  of  forty-three  years,  leaving  his  dominions  to 
his  son  Ferdinand,  under  the  auspices  of  the  profound 
Metternich.  But  during  the  revolutionary  epoch  of 
1848,  while  the  Hungarians  were  in  arms  to  assert 
their  independence,  he  abdicated  ;  and  his  brother 
declining  to  accept  the  Imperial  crown,  it  came  to 
the  son  of  the  latter,  Francis  Joseph,  who  thereupon 
assumed  the  titles  of  Emperor  of  Austria  and  King  of 
Hungary. 


CHAPTER  X. 

HISTORY    OF    ITALY. 

When  the  arms  of  Pepin  and  Charlemagne  had 
given  the  Popes  a  territorial  sovereignty,  added  a 
sceptre  to  their  keys,  and  enriched  them  with  the 
spoils  of  the  Roman  Emperors ;  and  when  Hilde- 
brand,  and  other  pontiffs  of  strong  will  and  immuta- 
ble purpose,  had  by  their  spiritual  authority  rendered 
themselves  independent  of  the  German  Caesars,  they 
became  ambitious  of  figuring  as  considerable  temporal 
princes.  But  when,  in  the  fourteenth  century,  the 
Popes  removed  their  residence  from  the  city  of  the 
Seven  Hills  to  Avignon,  the  inhabitants  of  Rome,  in 
1347,  expelled  the  nobles,  established  a  democratic 
government,  and  elected  Nicolas  Rienzi  tribune  of 
the  people.  This  soon  came  to  an  end  ;  but  the  tur- 
bulence of  the  multitude,  and  the  independent  spirit 
of  the  patricians,  still  further  diminished  the  papal 
authority  in  the  Ecclesiastical  States. 

Though  the  patrimony  of  St.  Peter  was  the  worst- 
governed  section  of  Europe,  though  the  glory  of  the 
Eternal  City  had  departed,  the  northern  and  southern 
provinces  of  Italy  were  studded  with  fair  and  flourish- 
Z 


354  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— ITALY. 

ing  cities,  the  capitals  of  small  states,  each  of  which 
possessed  sovereign  and  independent  jurisdiction. 

Venice,  Pisa,  and  Genoa,  by  furnishing  transports 
for  the  Crusaders,  and  contracting  for  their  military 
stores,  had  contrived  to  secure  by  commercial  enter- 
prise the  chief  advantage  arising  from  their  successes  ; 
and  when  these  cities  became  enriched  by  commerce, 
the  German  Emperors  were  glad  to  grant  them  large 
immunities  for  sums  of  money.  As  soon  as  the  citi- 
zens felt  their  own  importance,  they  endeavored  to 
render  themselves  masters  of  the  territory  around 
their  walls,  attacked  the  feudal  barons,  subjected 
them  to  municipal  power,  and  compelled  them,  as 
well  as  the  prelates,  to  reside  within  the  walls  for  a 
certain  period  of  each  year.  Gradually  the  nobles 
became  citizens  from  choice,  abandoned  their  ancient 
castles,  acknowledged  themselves  burgesses,  and  ap- 
plied their  energies  to  trade.  The  Emperors  had  an- 
ciently a  palace  in  each  Italian  city ;  but  at  length 
the  citizens  would  not  brook  their  presence ;  and 
when  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa,  alarmed  at 
the  encroachments  on  his  authority,  attempted  to  re- 
store the  Imperial  jurisdiction,  the  free  cities  of  Italy 
stood  together,  and  had  their  privileges  confirmed  by 
the  Treaty  of  Constance,  1183. 

Venice,  which  was  foremost  in  wealth  and  power 
among  the  Italian  cities,  has  been  described  as  a  re- 
public of  nobles  with  a  populace  of  slaves.  Up  to 
999,  the  State  paid  the  tribute  of  a  mantle  of  cloth 


THE    VENETIAN    REPUBLIC.  355 

of  gold,  as  a  mark  of  vassalage  to  the  Emperor  of  Con- 
stantinople, and  within  a  century  from  that  time  she 
was  rich  and  mfluential.  At  a  later  period  the  Em- 
peror Frederick  Barbarossa  attempted  to  make  the  Ve- 
netians lower  their  tone  ;  but  they  obtained  over  him 
a  naval  victory,  and  the  Pope,  attended  by  the  Senate, 
sailing  into  the  Adriatic,  on  whose  small  isles  the  city 
stands,  threw  in  a  ring  as  a  token  of  gratitude  and  af- 
fection. This  ceremony  was  afterward  performed  an- 
nually, under  the  notion  of  Venice  espousing  the  Adri- 
atic. Regarding  their  city  as  mistress  of  the  sea,  and 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  the  Venetians  became 
proud  and  haughty  ;  even  the  greatest  monarchs  could 
not  vie  with  the  principal  citizens  in  the  magnificence 
of  their  palaces,  the  richness  of  their  dress,  the  ele- 
gance of  their  furniture,  and  their  splendid  style  of 
living.  Their  credit  was  so  high,  that  while  the 
Emperor  MaximiUan's  utter  want  of  credit  procured 
him  the  epithet  of  the  Moneyless,  and  while  the 
King  of  France  was  borrowing  money  at  the  enor- 
mous interest  of  forty  per  cent.,  the  Venetians  could 
raise  as  much  as  they  pleased  at  an  eighth  of  that 
rate. 

Though  the  form  of  government  lodged  all  power 
in  the  hands  of  an  oligarchy,  industry  and  trade  were 
encouraged  ;  and  the  natives  were  employed  in  man-, 
ufactures  and  navigation,  while  the  defense  of  the 
State  was  intrusted  to  condottieri,  or  the  leaders  of 
mercenary  bands. 


356  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— ITALY. 

Florence  possessed  a  constitution  much  more  dem- 
ocratical,  and  was  remarkable  for  the  frequency  and 
violence  of  its  internal  dissensions.  The  institutions 
of  Florence  directed  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants 
to  mercantile  pursuits,  and  chief  among  its  merchant 
princes  ranked  the  Medici  family,  whose  founder, 
Cosmo,  had  acquired  vast  wealth  by  trading  with  the 
East.  His  son  was  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  under 
whose  auspices  the  republic  attained  a  high  degree 
of  splendor ;  and  a  branch  of  the  family  afterward 
obtained  the  sovereignty  of  Tuscany. 

Milan,  with  Genoa,  was  long  subject  to  the  House 
of  the  Visconti,  who  had  risen  into  importance  during 
the  protracted  quaiTcl  between  the  Guelphs  and  Ghi- 
belmes.  By  a  resolute  adherence  to  the  Emperor, 
one  of  them  was  distinguished  by  the  title  of  Duke 
of  Milan ;  and  aspiring  to  a  royal  bride,  he  sought 
the  hand  of  a  daughter  of  John,  king  of  France,  who 
consented  to  gratify  the  Italian's  ambition  for  a  hun- 
dred thousand  florins.  The  money  was  paid,  the 
marriage  celebrated,  and  the  Duke's  daughter  Valen- 
tine subsequently  became  the  wife  of  her  cousin,  the 
Duke  of  Orleans.  Thus,  when  the  male  line  of  Vis- 
conti became  extinct  in  1447,  the  Duke  of  Orleans 
was  their  heir.  But  other  claimants  started  up.  The 
King  of  Naples  demanded  the  duchy  in  right  of  a 
will  made  by  the  last  Duke ;  the  Emperor  contend- 
ed, that  as  the  Visconti  were  extinct,  the  fief  should 
revert  to  him  as  feudal  superior ;  and  the  people  of 


FLORENCE   AND   MILAN.  357 

Milan,  wishing  to  be  as  free  as  their  neighbors, 
declared  against  any  foreign  master,  and  constituted 
a  republic.  As  usual  in  such  cases,  a  hero  soon 
appeared  to  vanquish  all  opposition  by  his  talent  and 
energy. 

Somewhat  earlier,  a  peasant,  bearing  the  name  ol 
Sforza,  had  raised  himself  by  genius  and  valor  to  a 
high  place  among  those  adventurous  warriors  who 
sold  the  blood  of  their  followers  for  foreign  pay  ;  and 
he  had  been  succeeded  in  his  command  by  a  natural 
son,  Francis,  whose  courage  well  qualified  him  for  the 
post.  Francis  Sforza  had  taken  to  wife  an  illegiti- 
mate daughter  of  the  last  Duke  of  Milan,  and  though 
her  title  was  rather  defective,  the  political  capacity 
and  martial  power  of  her  husband  overcame  all  other 
considerations,  and  he  seated  himself  firmly  on  the 
ducal  throne. 

The  only  feudal  monarchy  in  Italy  was  that  of 
Naples,  founded  in  the  eleventh  century  by  the  Nor- 
man Guiscard,  whose  title  passed  with  the  Empress 
Constance  to  the  great  house  of  Swabia.  Though 
Conrad,  son  of  the  Emperor  Frederick,  maintained 
his  claims  with  an  army,  the  Pope,  in  order  to  make 
Naples  a  fief  of  the  Church,  after  hawking  the  crown 
all  over  Europe,  offered  it  to  Richard,  king  of  the 
Romans ;  but  the  sagacious  Englishman  declined  the 
gift  with  the  memorable  observation — "  You  might 
as  well  say,  '  I  make  you  a  present  of  the  moon  ;  go 
up  to  the  sky  and  bring  it  down.'  "    Henry  111.,  how- 


358  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— ITALY. 

ever,  accepted  it  for  his  second  son,  Edmund,  who 
assumed  the  empty  title,  but  lacked  funds  to  seize 
the  real  prize.  Thereupon  (Conrad  having  meantime 
been  murdered  by  his  illegitimate  brother  Manfred, 
who  proclaimed  himself  King),  the  Pope  presented 
the  crown  to  St.  Louis's  brother,  Charles  of  Anjou,  a 
cruel  and  ambitious  prince,  who  had  espoused  Beatrice, 
countess  of  Provence.  Charles,  entering  Italy,  defeat- 
ed and  killed  Manfred  at  Gaudella  in  1266,  assumed 
the  crown,  and  put  to  death  Conradin,  the  heir  of  the 
Swabian  line  :  but  when  on  the  scaffold,  the  youth 
declared  Peter  of  Aragon  his  rightful  heir,  and,  throw- 
ing a  glove  among  the  crowd,  desired  that  it  might 
be  taken  to  that  prince,  as  a  symbol  by  which  he  had 
conveyed  his  title. 

Charles  now  tyrannized  without  restraint ;  and  a 
Conspiracy  was  formed  against  him,  to  aid  which  the 
King  of  Aragon  sent  a  fleet.  At  the  sound  of  the 
vesper  bell,  on  Easter  Sunday,  1282,  the  populace  of 
Palermo  rose,  massacred  the  French  in  the  streets  of 
that  town,  and  through  all  Sicily.  Charles  invoked 
the  aid  of  his  nephew,  Philip  of  France ;  and  from 
that  time,  for  two  centuries,  the  Princes  of  Anjou  and 
Aragon  contended  for  the  throne  ;  but  at  length  the 
latter  seemed  so  securely  seated,  that  they  transmitted 
the  crown  to  an  illegitimate  branch. 

The  house  of  Anjou,  however,  stiU  existed,  and  their 
right  was  formally  conveyed  by  the  celebrated  King 
Hene  to  Louis  XL  of  France  ;  but  that  crafty  mon- 


FRENCH   INVASION.  359 

arch,  while  taking  possession  of  the  territories  of  the 
house  of  Anjou,  wisely  ahstained  from  meddling  with 
their  imaginary  title.  His  less  prescient  son,  Charles 
VIII.,  eager  for  adventure,  was  dreaming  of  conquest, 
when  Ludovico  Sforza,  surnamed  the  Moor,  designing 
to  supplant  his  nephew  on  the  throne  of  Milan,  ap- 
plied for  aid  from  France,  and,  without  disclosing  his 
own  views,  prevailed  on  the  youthful  sovereign  to 
march  into  Italy.  Accordingly,  in  the  autimrn  of 
1494,  Charles  appeared  south  of  the  Alps,  and  car- 
ried all  before  him.  One  king  of  Naples  died  of 
fright ;  his  successor,  in  terror,  abdicated  in  favor  of 
his  son ;  and  the  latter,  in  the  utmost  alarm,  sought 
safety  in  the  island  of  Ischia.  But  while  the  invader 
was  wasting  his  time  in  Naples,  and  regaling  liis 
fancy  with  the  anticipation  of  marvelous  exploits 
in  the  East,  the  Italian  States  combined  with  the 
Emperor  Maximilian  for  his  expulsion.  The  French, 
recognizing  no  hope,  and  resolving  on  a  retreat,  se- 
cured their  object  by  the  victory  at  Fornova ;  and 
their  sovereign  went  home  a  sadder  and  a  wiser 
man. 

When  the  French  first  marched  as  friends  into 
the  city  of  Milan,  Kmg  Charles  met  in  the  citadel  the 
young  Duke,  so  exhausted  by  debaucheries  that  his 
reason  had  well-nigh  departed,  and  so  languid  that 
suspicions  were  entertained  of  his  uncle  having  ad- 
ministered poison.  Soon  after  he  sunk  into  an  un- 
timely grave,  and  Ludovico  seized  the  duchy  :  but,  at 


360  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS— ITALY. 

the  same  time,  the  Duke  of  Orleans  claimed  it  as  heir 
to  Valentine  Visconti ;  and  no  sooner  was  he  seated  on 
the  throne  of  France,  as  Louis  XII.,  than  he  appeared 
with  an  army  to  vindicate  his  title.  Sforza,  unahle  to 
cope  with  such  a  competitor,  sought  refuge  with  his 
son-in-law,  the  Emperor  Maximilian  ;  while  Louis, 
arrayed  in  the  ducal  robes,  triumphantly  entered  Milan. 
Ludovico,  being  betrayed  by  a  Swiss  in  his  pay,  was 
shut  up  in  the  Castle  of  Loches  ;  and  it  was  now  that 
the  King  of  Naples,  alarmed  by  the  menaces  of  the 
French  monarch,  entreated  the  alliance  of  Ferdinand, 
king  of  Spain.  The  latter  sent  to  his  aid  Gonsolvo  de 
Cordova,  and  that  "  Great  Captain"  having  speedily 
arrived,  introduced  his  soldiers  into  the  various  fort- 
resses, and  then  informed  the  Neapolitan  Prince  that 
a  treaty  of  partition  had  been  agreed  to  between  the 
Kings  of  France  and  Spain.  This  piece  of  treachery 
accomplished,  Gonsolvo  took  advantage  of  a  quarrel 
to  drive  the  French  out  of  their  division  of  Naples. 

In  1497,  when  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  pontifical 
chair,  there  was  residing  at  Rome  a  Cardinal  named 
E-odrigo  Borgia,  who  led  a  hfe  flagrantly  dissolute. 
Nevertheless  he  aspired  to  the  papal  throne,  and  took 
sure  means  to  obtain  it.  Four  mules,  laden  with 
silver,  were,  in  the  face  of  day,  driven  to  the  palace  of 
the  most  influential  Cardinal :  the  others  were  bribed, 
each  at  his  price  ;  and  Borgia  became  Pope  with  the 
title  of  Alexander  VI.  To  aggrandize  his  bastard 
progeny,  the  new  Pope  gave  his  eldest  son  the  duchy 


C^SAR  BORGIA.  361 

of  Benevento  ;  but  the  younger  brother  Caesar,  an 
Archbishop,  and  one  of  the  handsomest  men  of  his  age, 
not  rehshing  the  grant,  after  causing  his  brother  to  be 
assassinated,  had  his  body  thrown  into  the  Tiber  ;  and 
he  next  ordered  the  execution  of  his  sister's  husband. 
Csesar  achieved  the  conquest  of  Romagna,  captured 
Urbino,  and  was  occupied  with  great  schemes,  when 
an  accident  threw  all  into  confusion.  The  Pope  in- 
vited to  a  sumptuous  feast  a  Cardinal,  whom  he  ordered 
to  be  poisoned  with  a  box  of  sweetmeats,  but  the  wary 
guest,  receiving  a  hint,  dexterously  contrived  that  his 
host  should  be  the  victim ;  and  the  poison  not  only 
carried  off  Alexander,  but  being  partaken  of  by  his 
son,  caused  such  a  stupor  and  lassitude  in  that  "  hero 
of  crime,"  that,  incapable  of  exertion,  he  lost  the  fruits 
of  multitudinous  intrigues.  Stripped  of  his  acquisi- 
tions, and  seized  at  Naples,  Ca;sar  was  sent  by  Gon- 
solvo  a  prisoner  to  Spain. 

Venice  was  at  this  period  an  object  of  terror  to  her 
Italian  neighbors,  as  well  as  of  envy  to  the  feudal 
potentates  of  Europe;  and  Julius  II.,  a  warlike, 
onergetic,  and  resolute  pontiff^  resolving  to  humble 
her  pride,  formed  for  that  purpose  the  celebrated 
League  of  Cambray  with  Louis,  Ferdinand,  and  Max- 
imilian. The  Venetians,  in  the  utmost  alarm,  aban- 
doned their  Continental  territories,  and  sought  refuge 
in  the  city  ;  their  army  was  destroyed  by  the  French 
in  the  battle  of  Agnadello,  and  the  conquest  was 
achieved  as  far  as  the  Adda ;  when  the  Pope,  veer- 


362  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— ITALY. 

ing  round,  treacherously  hounded  on  the  other  Leaguers 
agamst  the  French.  Louis,  enraged,  declared  war 
against  Julius,  and  had  a  medal  struck  with  this 
legend — Perdam  Babylonis  natnen  ;  but  his  Glueen, 
Anne  of  Brittany,  entertaining  serious  scruples  in  re- 
gard to  a  war  with  the  Pontifi^  caused  operations  to 
be  carried  on  faintly  ;  and  after  gaining  the  battle  of 
Ravenna,  Louis,  whose  finances  were  exhausted,  found 
it  necessaiy  to  conclude  treaties  of  peace,  which  de- 
prived the  French  of  every  place  in  Italy  except  the 
Castle  of  Milan. 

Two  years  elapsed,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
Emperor  Maximilian,  the  more  prominent  personages, 
who  had  practiced  against  each  other  that  Italian  pol- 
icy which  Machiavel  has  developed  in  the  "Prince," 
had  disappeared  from  the  stage.  Louis  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  his  cousin  Francis,  Pope  Julius  by  Leo  X., 
Ferdinand  the  Catholic  by  his  grandson  Charles,  and 
Ludovico  the  Moor  by  his  son,  when  an  army  of 
Frenchmen,  guided  by  their  impetuous  King,  descend- 
ed the  Alps,  won  the  battle  of  Marignano,  and  took 
possession  of  Milan.  But,  in  1521,  the  French  were 
expelled  by  the  forces  of  Charles  V.  ;  the  second  ex- 
pedition of  Francis  ended  in  his  captivity  ;  and  Andrea 
Doria,  the  Genoese  admiral,  oflended  w'ith  the  haught- 
iness of  the  French  King,  placed  Genoa,  with  its 
marble  palaces,  under  the  Emperor's  protection.  At 
length,  by  the  Treaty  of  Crespy,  Francis  renounced  his 
claims  to  Naples  and  Milan  ;  and  all  that  his  impover- 


HER   FOREIGN    MASTERS.  363 

ished  kingdom  retained  of  their  French  acquisitions  waa 
the  person  of  Catherine  de  Medici. 

The  Emperor  Charles  was  crowned  at  Rome  as 
King  of  Italy,  which  henceforth,  though  subject  to 
foreign  masters,  ceased  to  be  the  battle-field  of  Europe. 
Milan  enjoyed  some  measure  of  prosperity  under  the 
Spaniards  ;  but  Venice  fell  gradually  from  her  high 
estate  ;  and  the  resources  of  Naples  were  allowed  to 
lie  dormant. 

The  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  which,  in  1713,  gave  totho 
Austrian  princes  Milan  and  the  kingdom  of  Naples, 
dismembered  from  the  Spanish  monarchy,  established 
their  overwhelming  influence  in  the  Italian  peninsula  ; 
but  in  173-1,  Don  Carlos,  son  of  Philip  of  Spain,  in- 
vading Italy,  recovered  Naples  and  Sicily  for  the 
house  of  Bourbon. 

Time  passed  on,  and  the  marvelous  successes  of 
Napoleon  overthrew  all  arrangements.  The  victory 
of  Marengo  placed  Italy  in  his  power ;  and  going 
thither  in  1804,  he  gratified  his  ambitious  longings 
and  vague  presentiments  by  placing  the  iron  crown 
of  the  Lombard  Sovereigns  on  his  head,  and  in  adding 
the  title  of  King  of  the  Romans  to  that  of  Emperor  of 
the  French. 

Declaring  that  the  Sicilian  Bourbons  had  forfeited 
the  crown  of  Naples,  Napoleon  bestowed  it  on  his 
brother  Joseph  ;  and  when  the  latter  was  proclaimed 
King  of  Spain,  the  Neapolitan  sceptre  was  handed 
over  to  his  brother-in-law  Murat,  who  was  seized  and 


3G1  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— ITALY. 

shot  for  au  attempt  to  efiect  a  lauding  with  arms  in 
his  hands  after  Waterloo. 

The  Congress  of  Vienna,  in  1815,  restored  the 
Bourbons  to  the  throne  of  Naples,  bestowed  Tuscany 
on  the  Archduke  Ferdinand,  placed  Genoa  in  posses- 
sion of  the  King  of  Sardinia,  re-established  the  Papal 
States,  and,  while  restoring  to  Austria  the  Lombard 
dominions,  gave  her,  in  addition,  the  ancient  posses- 
sions of  Venice  on  both  sides  of  the  Adriatic.  Though 
the  Italians,  amidst  their  beautiful  vales  and  lofty 
mountains,  indulging  in  dreams  of  restoring  grand- 
eur and  independence  to  their  rich  soil,  have  since 
striven  to  throw  off  the  power  of  Austria  and  Sardinia, 
the  arrangements  made  at  that  great  assembly  of 
European  potentates  have  not  been  permanently  dis- 
turbed. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HISTORY    OF    SWITZERLAND. 

When  the  grave  had  closed  over  the  Emperor  Ro- 
dolph,  founder  of  the  house  of  Austria,  his  less  popular 
son,  Albert,  aspired,  as  hereditary  sovereign  of  several 
Swiss  cantons,  to  erect  the  various  provinces  into  a 
principality  for  one  of  his  children.  The  inhabitants, 
a  Gothic  race,  offered  so  resolute  a  resistance,  that  the 
Imperial  potentate,  in  revenge,  appointed  them  rulers 
characterized  by  their  tyrannical  spirit ;  and  among 
these  none  was  more  unreasonably  despotic  then 
Geisler,  the  Governor  of  Ury. 

In  the  market-place  of  Altorf,  the  hat  of  Geisler 
was  placed  aloft  on  a  pole,  and  in  the  exercise  of  un- 
bridled power  he  ordered  every  passer-by  to  bow  down 
before  it,  on  pain  of  death.  He  soon,  however,  found 
that  there  were  in  the  canton  men  bold  enough  to 
defy  his  utmost  wrath  ;  and  conspicuous  among  the 
recusants  was  a  peasant — the  famous  "William  Tell. 
For  refusing  to  perform  the  ridiculous  homage  that 
brave  man  was  forthwith  sentenced  to  be  hanged  ; 
but  he  was  subsequently  promised  pardon  on  the  cruel 
condition  of  striking  with  an  arrow,   at  a  given   dis- 


3G6      HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— SWITZERLAND. 

tance,  an  apple  placed  on  the  head  of  his  son.  The 
trial  was  accepted  ;  the  boy  was  brought  out,  and  Tell, 
who  was  a  most  expert  archer,  managed  to  cleave  the 
apple  without  mjunng  the  lad.  At  that  moment,  the 
Austrian  governor,  perceiving  that  his  victim  had  a 
second  arrow,  inquired  with  eagerness  for  what  pur- 
pose it  was  intended ;  and  Tell  answered  with  the 
frank  sincerity  of  his  country,  "  It  was  to  have  killed 
you  if  1  had  killed  my  child."  Enraged  at  such  a 
reply,  the  governor  ordered  the  patriot  to  be  fettered 
and  conveyed  in  a  boat  to  the  dungeon  of  his  castle  ; 
but  a  storm  coming  on,  the  boatmen  declared  that 
they  should  inevitably  be  lost,  unless  Tell,  the  most 
skillful  navigator  on  the  lake,  was  intrusted  with  the 
helm.  Geisler  then  ordered  him  to  be  unbound  ;  and 
the  captive  peasant,  steering  for  a  point  of  land,  since 
known  as  the  Rock  of  Tell,  leaped  ashore,  and  made 
for  the  mountains.  Soon  after  this  escape  he  shot  the 
obnoxious  governor  ;  and,  under  the  impulse  of  his 
daring  courage,  the  Swiss  prepared  to  throw  oft'  the 
Austrian  yoke. 

Twelve  patriotic  men,  indignant  at  the  cruelties 
perpetrated,  vowed  to  emancipate  their  soil ;  and,  in 
1308,  they  surprised  the  Austrian  governors  of  the 
cantons  of  Schewitz,  TJry,  and  Undcrwalden,  con- 
ducted them  to  their  frontiers,  and  made  them  swear 
an  oath  never  to  serve  against  Switzerland.  The 
three  cantons  having  bravely  won  their  freedom,  were 
jomed  by  the  other  ten,  and  thus  sprung  into  existence 


WILLIAM    TELL. 


STRUGGLE   WITH   AUSTRIA.  369 

the  Helvetic  Republic.  The  Swiss  fought  with  heroic 
patriotism  for  their  national  independence ;  and,  in 
1315,  the  battle  of  Morgaret,  where  sixteen  hundred 
Swiss  defeated  twenty  thousand  Austrians  while  the 
latter  were  attempting  to  ^ross  the  mountains,  fully 
established  their  liberties.  They  speedily  effected  a 
change  in  the  condition  of  their  formerly  depressed 
country ;  the  neglected  soil  was  carefully  cultivated, 
the  barren  heath  converted  into  a  fertile  plain,  and 
the  craggy  rocks  decked  with  fruitful  vines. 

Victorious  against  terrible  odds  over  the  Imperial 
forces,  the  Swiss  had  next  to  contend,  limited  as  were 
their  resources,  face  to  face  with  the  martial  array  of 
Charles  the  Rash,  duke  of  Burgundy.  That  haughty 
personification  of  feudal  pride,  baffled  in  his  ambi- 
tious wish  to  be  recognized  as  a  king  by  the  Emperor, 
attempted  to  Avrench  Lorraine  from  Rene,  its  last  sov- 
ereign ;  and  the  latter  sohcited  the  aid  of  the  Helvetic 
Republic.  Nor  were  the  Swiss  insignificant  allies. 
During  their  long  struggle  for  freedom,  they  had 
learned  much  from  experience.  Having  to  encounter 
heavily-armed  cavalry,  they  gave  their  soldiers  breast- 
plates and  helmets  as  defensive  armor,  with  long 
spears,  halberts,  and  heavy  swords,  as  weapons  of 
offense,  and  ranged  them  in  battalions,  so  deep  and 
close,  that  the  men-at-arms  could  make  no  impres- 
sion. 

The  Swiss  now  poured  from  their  mountains,  and 
met  the  Duke's  army  at  Neuss,  where  the  fiery  mag- 
Aa 


370      HISTORY  P^OR   BOYS.— SWITZERLAND. 

nate  sustained  a  bloody  defeat ;  and,  though  aban- 
doned by  the  King  of  France,  who  had  appeared  as 
their  ally,  they  were  again  successful  in  the  fields  of 
Granson  and  Morat.  The  decisive  engagement  took 
place  in  1477,  before  Nanci,  where  the  shield  of 
Burgundy  was  broken,  her  chivalry  routed,  and  her 
Duke  slain. 

The  Swiss  having  thus  proved  thqir  warlike  prowess, 
became  famous  as  mercenaries  to  Louis  XI.  and  his 
successors,  and  signalized  their  valor  in  the  Italian 
wars.  But  Swiss  peasants,  allured  to  the  banks  of 
the  Po  and  the  Rhone,  lost  much  of  their  primitive 
simplicity,  while  foreign  intrigues  were  creating  dis- 
cord in  the  pastoral  hills  and  valleys  of  their  native 
country. 

While  aflairs  were  in  this  untoward  condition,  Ulric 
Zwingle  was  born,  in  1484,  of  an  ancient  race  of 
Alpine  herdsmen  in  high  esteem  among  the  mount- 
aineers of  Tockcnburg  ;  and,  evincing  marks  of  supe- 
rior intelligence,  he  was  destined  to  the  priestly  office. 
After  narrowly  escaping  the  precincts  of  a  convent, 
Zwingle  became,  in  his  twenty-second  year,  pastor  of 
Glaris ;  and  in  1515,  having  previously  protested 
against  his  countrymen  selling  their  swords  for  foreign 
pay,  fought,  sword  in  hand,  for  Rome,  in  the  battle 
of  Marignano. 

The  Reformation  was  just  dawning  in  Switzerland, 
when,  in  1518,  Zwingle  was  elected  as  preacher  at 
Zurich,  where  he  speedily  distinguished  himself  by 


THE    REFORMATJON.  371 

the  enunciation  of  religious  doctrines  which  had  all 
the  charm  of  novelty  to  people  who  had  long  been 
kept  in  darkness.  In  1520,  the  civil  power  in  that 
canton  interfered  to  fulfill  the  work  of  the  Reformation  ; 
and  the  monks  were  enjoined  to  preach  only  what  they 
found  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  But  while 
the  truth  was  gaining  ground  in  Zurich,  the  warlike 
canton  of  Lucerne  rushed  to  the  rescue  of  the  imper- 
iled Church  of  Rome  ;  and  a  Diet,  held  at  Baden, 
urged  the  confederated  provinces  to  extirpate  the  new 
religion.  The  Swiss,  thereupon,  seemed  to  rise  as  one 
man  against  the  Gospel ;  at  Lucerne  Zwingle  was 
burned  in  effigy  ;  at  Friburg  his  writings  were  con- 
signed to  the  flames ;  and  in  other  districts  the  popu- 
lace clamored  for  his  being  summarily  dealt  with. 
Nevertheless,  the  Reformation  gained  ground ;  and 
Farel,  a  Frenchman,  driven  from  his  native  soil, 
decided  the  western  cantons  in  favor  of  the  new  faith. 
The  Franciscans,  intrusted  with  the  sale  of  pardons 
and  indulgences  in  SwitzerlaiKl,  and  guilty  of  the 
utmost  rapacity,  were  attacked  by  Zwingle  at  Zurich  ; 
but,  in  1531,  that  intrepid  reformer,  placing  himself 
with  characteristic  courage,  at  the  head  of  a  Protestant 
army,  fell  before  the  victorious  Papists,  who  quartered 
and  burned  his  lifeless  corpse.  Subsequently,  John 
Calvin  took  up  his  residence  at  Geneva,  and  under 
the  inspiration  of  that  Reformer's  haughty  gloom  and 
mighty  intellect,  the  city  on  Lake  Leman  became  the 
asylum  for  the  persecuted,  and  the  cradle  of  revolt 


372      HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— SWITZERLAND. 

against  half  the  powers  of  Europe.  The  result  of  the 
struggle  was,  that  about  one  half  of  Switzerland 
embraced  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  while  the 
other  adhered  to  the  Chuich  of  Rome. 

By  the  treaty  of  Westphalia,  in  1648,  the  republic 
of  Switzerland  was  declared  to  be  a  sovereign  state, 
exempt  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  empire ;  but,  as 
time  rolled  on,  new  perils  arose.  After  a  peace  that 
had  endured  for  ages,  war  was  declared  by  the  French 
Republic,  in  1798,  against  the  confederated  cantons, 
and  the  latter  levied  an  army  of  twenty-six  thousand 
men.  A  French  general  forthwith  entered  the  terri- 
tory of  Berne,  displaced  the  ruling  families,  possessed 
himself  of  the  treasures  of  the  state,  and  proposed  a 
new  constitution,  which  was  designed  to  change  the 
government  from  a  federal  to  a  united  republic.  The 
larger  cantons,  trusting  to  gain  an  ascendency  under 
the  new  system,  were  inclined  to  acquiesce ;  but  the 
smaller  states,  attached  to  their  time-tried  institutions, 
assembled  in  arms,  appointed  Paravicini  as  their  lead- 
er, and  drawing  the  French  general  into  an  ambus- 
cade, by  a  signal  defeat  arrested  his  career.  This 
victory  enabled  the  Swiss  to  conclude  a  treaty,  where- 
by the  small  states  agreed  to  accept  the  new  consti- 
tution, provided  their  internal  administration  contin- 
ued as  before.  But  the  canton  of  Underwalden  re- 
fused to  agree  to  the  terms,  and  thither  was  marched 
a  large  body  of  French  troops,  accompanied  by  artil- 
lery. 


CONTEST  WITH    FRANCE.  373 

The  hardy  peasantry  were  not  to  be  daunted.  On 
the  8th  of  September,  1798,  began  a  battle  which 
lasted  till  the  following  evening.  The  Swiss,  ardent 
for  liberty  and  warm  with  patriotism,  fought  with 
desperate  valor.  Brandishing  clubs  and  spears,  they 
encountered  the  muskets  and  bayonets  of  the  invaders  ; 
and  answered  the  thunder  of  artillery  with  huge  frag- 
ments of  rock.  Vain,  however,  was  the  stern  resist- 
ance of  the  gallant  mountaineers ;  for,  the  town  of 
Standtz  being  taken,  the  houses  in  its  charming  valley 
were  given  to  the  flames,  and  the  inhabitants  massa- 
cred without  respect  to  age  or  sex. 

After  this  terrible  disaster,  all  Switzerland  sub- 
scribed to  the  new  constitution ;  Lucerne  was  select- 
ed as  the  seat  of  government,  and  a  close  alliance  was 
formed  between  the  Helvetic  Republic  and  the  French 
Directory.  But  the  French  oppressed  the  Swiss  ;  and 
the  Swiss  sighed  for  their  ancient  laws  and  institu- 
tions. Rushing  to  arms,  in  1802,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  cantons,  with  the  impetuosity  of  their  ancestors, 
wrested  Zurich,  Friburg,  and  Berne,  from  their  for- 
eign masters,  and  nominated  Aloys  Reding  as  their 
chief  At  this  crisis,  Bonaparte  proclaiming  himself 
their  mediator,  ordered  that  all  hostilities  should  cease. 
The  Helvetic  Diet  remonstrated  ;  but  the  appearance 
of  an  army  of  thirty  thousand  men,  under  Ney,  si- 
lenced their  complaints,  and  the  publication  of  a  me- 
diatorial decree  suppressed  the  national  independence 
of  Switzerland. 


374       HISTORY    FOR  BOYS.— SWITZERLAND. 

But  a  few  years  wrought  a  marvelous  change  in 
the  face  of  Europe ;  the  mighty  Emperor  fell,  an(| 
Switzerland  ohtained  deliverance.  After  the  Peace 
of  Paris,  in  1814,  her  ancient  form  of  government 
was  restored ;  and,  hy  rendering  the  allied  and  sub- 
ject districts  integral  parts  of  the  Republic,  the  num- 
ber of  cantons  was  increased  from  thirteen  to  twenty- 
two.  In  1830,  their  respective  governments,  alarmed 
at  the  signals  of  tumult,  propitiated  popular  feeling 
by  reforming  abuses,  and  thus  added  strength  to  the 
guarantees  of  freedom. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HISTORY    OF    HOLLAND    AND    BELGIUM. 

In  the  course  of  the  tenth  century  the  Batavians, 
or  natives  of  Holland,  who  had  successively  submitted 
to  the  sway  of  the  Roman  and  Frankish  empires,  as- 
sumed a  position  of  independence,  and  vested  their  su- 
preme authority  in  the  nobles  of  the  land,  and  the  dep- 
uties from  cities,  who  were  presided  over  by  the  Earl 
of  Hainault.  But,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the  sov- 
ereignty of  all  the  Netherlands  was  surrendered  to 
the  house  of  Burgundy,  whose  last  Duke,  Charles  the 
Rash,  fell  before  the  serried  phalanx  of  Switzerland 
in  1477.  From  that  haughty  personage's  daughter, 
Mary  of  Burgundy,  the  provinces  were  inherited  by 
her  grandson,  the  Emperor  Charles  V. ;  and  he  left 
them,  with  Spain  and  the  Indies,  to  his  son — the  sec- 
ond Philip. 

The  free  privileges  enjoyed  by  the  inhabitants,  and 
their  Protestant  leanings,  were  regarded  with  feelings 
the  reverse  of  kindly  by  the  despotic  monarch ;  and 
he  resolved  upon  indulging  his  natural  bigotry  by  es- 
tablishing the  Inquisition  to  eradicate  heresy.  The 
chief  nobles,  thereupon,  assembled  at  Brussels,  and 


376      HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— HOLLAND,  ETC. 

dispatched  deputies  to  represent  their  grievances  at 
the  court  of  Madrid  ;  but  Phihp,  deeming  this  step  a 
treasonable  infringement  of  his  royal  authority,  sent 
the  Duke  of  Alva  with  an  army  into  Flanders  to  sup- 
press the  discontent  by  arbitrary  means. 

Philip  was  then  deemed  by  far  the  most  powerful 
sovereign  of  Europe,  and  there  was  a  general  dispo- 
sition among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Netherlands  to 
submit  to  his  power ;  but  Wilham  of  Nassau,  Prince 
of  Orange,  sumamed  the  Taciturn,  on  whom  he  had 
conferred  the  government,  was  bent  on  resistance,  and 
the  blood,  that  was  ere  long  shed  by  Alva,  roused  the 
spirit  of  his  countr}Tnen.  The  Counts  of  Horn  and 
Egmont,  with  eighteen  gentlemen,  were  led  to  the 
block  ;  and  the  Prince  of  Orange,  being  destined  to  a 
similar  fate,  escaped  to  his  patrimonial  estates  in  Ger- 
many. Originally  a  Lutheran,  he  had  reverted  to 
Popery  at  the  persuasion  of  the  Emperor  Charles,  but 
he  now  embraced  the  Calvinistic  doctrines.  With 
great  difficulty  "VYilliam  raised  an  army,  which,  under 
the  command  of  his  brother,  perished  in  Friesland. 
A  second  was  equally  unfortunate,  and  fortime  still 
seemed  so  unfavorable,  that  he  went  to  fight  as  a 
volunteer  among  the  Huguenots  of  France.  But  the 
Flemish  exiles,  unable  to  find  a  refuge  on  foreign 
shores,  made  an  assault  on  Brille,  of  which  they  ren- 
dered themselves  masters,  while  the  people  of  Holland 
and  Zealand  flew  to  arms,  and  declared  against  Alva's 
tyranny.     The  Prince  of  Orange  then  arrived  to  com- 


THE    SIEGE   OF   LEYDEN.  377 

plete  their  liberation,  united  the  revolted  provinces  into 
a  league,  and  was  declared  their  Stadtholder.  Fired 
by  a  love  of  civil  and  religious  freedom,  the  inhab- 
itants resolved  to  defy  all  dangers,  and  suddenly  ex- 
hibiting military  prowess,  they  courageously  repulsed 
Alva.  That  instrument  of  tyranny  was,  at  his  own 
request,  recalled  to  Spain ;  and,  in  departing,  he 
indulged  in  the  ignoble  boast,  of  having  caused  the 
execution  of  no  fewer  than  eighteen  thousand  here- 
tics. 

Requesens,  a  man  of  a  milder  disposition,  was  now 
commissioned  to  concihate  the  insurgents;  but  the 
war  was  carried  on  by  the  Dutch  more  heroically 
than  ever.  The  Spaniards  laid  siege  to  Leyden  ;  and 
it  was  defended  with  desperate  courage.  The  Dutch, 
opening  the  dykes  and  sluices,  which  preserved  their 
territory  from  the  surrounding  sea,  endeavored  to 
drive  the  besiegers  from  the  arduous  enterprise ;  but 
the  Spaniards  continued  the  siege,  and  undertook  to 
drain  off  the  water.  The  besieged  were  thus  reduced 
to  the  last  stage  of  misery,  and  were  on  the  borders 
of  despair,  when  a  violent  tempest  drove  the  waters 
with  such  fury  against  the  Spaniards,  that,  seeing 
themselves  in  peril  of  being  swallowed  up  by  the 
waves,  they  sounded  a  retreat,  after  having  lost  the 
flower  of  their  army. 

Soon  after  this  memorable  disaster,  Requesens  ex- 
pired, and  was  succeeded  by  Philip's  natural  brother, 
Don  John  of  Austria  ;  but  the  cruelty  and  rapacity  of 


378      HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— HOLLAND,  ETC. 

the  Spanish  soldiers  had  united  seven  provinces  into  a 
formidable  combination  ;  and  the  ambitious  governor, 
having  by  his  projects  aroused  the  jealousy  of  the 
King,  was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  career  by  pois- 
on, administered  secretly,  as  was  said,  by  order  of 
Philip. 

A  price  was  noAV  set  on  the  head  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange  ;  and  that  distinguished  champion  of  freedom 
perishing  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin  at  Delft,  the 
States  sent  an  embassy  to  offer  the  sovereignty  to  the 
dueen  of  England.  Declining  the  distinction,  yet  re- 
solved to  maintain  the  cause  of  the  revolted  provinces, 
that  wise  princess,  with  whose  welfare  were  bound 
up  the  fate  of  nations  and  fortunes  of  Protestantism, 
dispatched  to  their  aid  an  army  under  her  unworthy 
favorite,  the  Earl  of  Leicester.  That  carpet  knight, 
landing  at  Flushing,  was  there  received  by  his  neph- 
ew, the  illustrious  Sir  Philip  Sidney ;  and  while  the 
famous  Drake  was  assailing  the  Spanish  West  Indies, 
Leicester  commenced  operations,  but  with  little  glory  : 
for  the  renowned  Prince  of  Parma  now  commanded 
the  Spanish  forces,  and  speedily  captured  several  im- 
portant strongholds  from  the  insurgents. 

Leicester,  to  draw  off  his  redoubted  antagonist  from 
Rhimberg,  sat  down  before  Zutphen,  to  the  relief  of 
which  Parma  hastened.  While  the  van  of  the  Span- 
ish army  was  advancing  through  a  fog,  they  encoun- 
tered a  body  of  English  cavalr}',  and  a  desperate  con- 
flict took  place.     Victory  fell  to  the  English,  but  it 


STRUGGLE   WITH    SPAIN.  379 

cost  the  life  of  the  hrave  Sidney.  Mortally  wounded, 
the  young  hero  was  borne  from  the  field  by  his  mourn- 
ing soldiers,  and  laid  down  to  expire.  While  he  was 
bleeding  on  the  ground,  a  bottle  of  water  was  brought 
to  relieve  the  dying  warrior's  burning  thirst ;  but  per- 
ceiving a  wounded  man  lying  in  agony  by  his  side, 
the  accomplished  cavalier  handed  him  the  bottle,  say- 
ing, with  that  fine  chivalry  which  characterized  his 
life  and  conduct,  "  Soldier,  thy  necessity  is  greater 
than  mine." 

The  Dutch  insurgents,  while  duly  recognizing  the 
valor  of  their  English  auxiharies,  were,  with  much 
reason,  discontented  with  the  incapacity  of  Leicester, 
who  at  length  withdrew  from  the  post  of  danger. 
Thereupon  Count  Maurice,  son  of  the  murdered 
Prince  of  Orange,  was  elected  Stadtholder ;  and  he, 
recovering  some  towns  from  the  bold  grasp  of  Parma, 
carried  on  the  struggle  with  such  indomitable  determ- 
ination, that,  in  1609,  the  Kmg  of  Spaui  was  under 
the  necessity  of  treating  with  the  Dutch  as  a  free 
people,  and  solemnly  renouncing  all  claim  to  sover- 
eignty over  the  Seven  Provinces.  The  other  ten 
were  induced  to  remain  subject  to  the  crown  of 
Spain.  For  the  next  half  century  the  United  Prov- 
inces, with  the  Hague  for  a  capital,  increased  rapidly 
in  wealth  and  importance.  The  marriage  of  a  prince 
of  Orange  to  an  English  princess  led  to  a  war  be- 
tween Holland  and  the  Commonwealth ;  and  the 
Dutch   admiral,  Tromp,   so   successfully   encountered 


380       HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— HOLLAND,  ETC. 

the  renowned  Blake,  that  he  fixed  a  broom  on  his 
mainmast  to  indicate  his  intention  of  sweeping  the 
Enghsh  navy  from  the  seas. 

This  bravado  was  not  to  bs  patiently  endured  by 
"  an  old  and  haughty  nation  proud  in  arms,"  and  a 
gallant  fleet,  fitted  out  to  repair  the  disaster,  anchored 
ofi' Portland.  On  the  18th  of  Februarj',  1663,  seven- 
ty-six Dutch  vessels,  under  Tromp  and  De  Ruyter, 
sailed  up  the  Channel ;  a  furious  fight  began,  and 
was  maintained  with  obstinacy  for  three  winter  days. 
Blake  was  victorious,  but  several  of  his  ships  were 
shattered,  many  of  his  men  were  slain,  and  the  Dutch 
admiral  efiectcd  a  skillful  retreat.  On  the  29th  of 
July — the  Dutch  having  meantime  been  worsted — 
they  again  joined  battle  ;  and  Tromp  this  time  vowed 
to  conquer  or  die.  He  encountered  the  foe  with  his 
wonted  courage,  and  while  cheering  on  his  men  sword 
in  hand,  was  shot  through  the  heart.  His  fall  decided 
the  day  in  favor  of  the  English  ;  and,  at  length,  Crom- 
well, on  being  invested  with  the  dignity  of  Protector, 
restored  peace  and  concord. 

After  the  Restoration  of  Charles  IL,  war  again 
broke  out  between  the  Dutch  and  English,  and  at 
first  fortune  smiled  on  the  latter ;  but  the  measures 
of  the  Dutch  were  then  directed  by  John  de  Witt,  a 
minister  of  rare  talent,  integrity,  and  magnanimity. 
To  repair  their  defeats,  he  went  on  board  the  fleet, 
assumed  the  command,  acquired  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  naval  affairs,  and  speedily  redeemed  the  recent 


WARS   WITH   ENGLAND  AND   FRANCE.      381 

disasters.  The  Dutch  formed  an  alliance  with  Louis 
XIV.,  and  fought  with  the  English  during  three  long 
days  in  June,  1666.  The  conflict  was  indecisive  ; 
and  De  Ruyter,  posting  himself  in  the  Thames,  sus- 
tained a  severe  defeat ;  but  De  Witt  was  not  to  be 
daunted.  Under  the  command  of  De  Ruyter,  a  Dutch 
fleet  appeared  on  the  English  coast,  took  Sheerness, 
burned  the  ships-of-war  at  Chatham,  and  sailed  up  to 
Tilbury.  The  Peace  of  Breda  changed  the  face  of 
matters,  and  soon  after  the  TJnited  Provinces  were  ex- 
posed to  an  invasion  from  France. 

The  Dutch  were  a  mercantile  people.  As  early  as 
the  thirteenth  century,  they  had  been  known  as  a 
frugal  and  amphibious  race,  whose  industry  monopo- 
lized the  fish-trade,  and  who  were  extensively  occupied 
with  the  building  and  navigating  of  ships.  In  spite 
of  jealousy  and  tyranny,  they  had  extended  their  trade 
to  the  East  and  West  Indies,  till,  in  1648,  the  treaty 
of  Westphalia  guaranteed  them  Java,  the  Moluccas, 
with  aU  their  factories  in  India ;  and  such  was  their 
commercial  prosperity,  that  they  possessed  fifteen 
thousand  ships  when  France  had  not  more  than  six 
hundred. 

In  1667,  however,  the  French  Government  imposed 
such  import  duties,  that  the  Dutch  were  virtually  pro- 
hibited from  disposing  of  their  manufactured  goods  iu 
Franco  ;  and,  in  retaliation,  the  States  imposed  high 
duties  on  French  wines.  For  thus  imitating  his  own 
policy,  Lcuis  in  person  invaded  the  United  Provinces 


382   HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— HOLLAND,  ETC. 

with  an  army  of  more  than  100,000  men,  com- 
manded by  Conde,  Turenne,  Luxembourg,  and  Vau- 
ban.  The  cities,  in  terror,  opened  their  gates ;  the 
passage  of  the  Rhine  was  effected  ;  deputies  from  the 
States  came  to  sue  for  peace ;  and  Louis  demanded 
that  the  duties  on  wine  should  be  remitted,  and  that 
he  should  annually  receive  a  medal,  surrounded  by  a 
legend,  in  acknowledgment  that  the  Dutch  people 
held  their  liberties  at  his  sovereign  will  and  pleasure. 
His  haughty  demands  exasperated  the  despairing  popu- 
lace ;  the  sluices  were  once  more  opened,  and  the 
country  which  had  been  reclaimed  from  the  sea  at  so 
vast  an  expenditure  of  care  and  toU,  was  unhesitating- 
ly laid  under  water.  In  their  rage,  the  inhabitants 
massacred  John  de  "VVitt,  with  his  brother  Cornelius, 
tried  servants  of  the  republic,  and  placed  the  govern- 
ment in  the  hands  of  WilUam,  the  youthful  Prince  of 
Orange,  who  commanded  their  armies  and  directed 
their  affairs  with  a  vigor  and  prudence  far  beyond  his 
years.  After  a  prolonged  war  by  sea  and  land,  Louis, 
by  the  treaty  of  Nimeguen,  revoked  the  obnoxious  tar- 
iff, and  thus  succumbed  on  the  original  ground  of  dis- 
pute. 

At  this  period  the  Dutch  Republic  was  at  the 
head  of  European  independence,  and  supplied  William 
of  Orange  with  forces  to  accomplish  a  revolution  in 
England.  From  that  date  they  took  little  part  in 
European  struggles,  and  gain  became  their  principal 
object.     The  wealthy  magnates  monopolized  the  com- 


ERECTION   INTO   MONARCHIES.  383 

merce  of  Europe,  as  the  merchant  princes  of  Italy  had 
formerly  done.  Amsterdam,  which  possessed  a  bank- 
ing establishment  widely  celebrated,  was  the  most 
important  commercial  city  in  Europe,  and  the  coffers 
of  the  Dutch  treasury  seemed  as  inexhaustible  as  those 
of  Venice  had  been  in  her  days  of  greatness.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a  series  of  revolu- 
tions took  place  under  foreign  influence,  and  a  French 
army  entered  the  country  ;  but  these  attempts  to  gain 
Holland  by  popular  tumult  and  external  intrigue  were 
resented  by  England  and  Prussia,  who  restored  the 
Stadtholder,  and  suppressed  the  democratic  party. 

In  1805,  however,  when  Bonaparte  was  every 
where  victorious,  he  imposed  upon  Holland  a  new 
constitution,  of  which  the  chief  was  styled  the  Grand 
Pensionary.  This  lasted  only  till  ISOG,  when  the 
Emperor  of  the  French,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  power, 
erected  the  United  Provinces  into  a  kingdom  for  his 
brother  Louis ;  and,  on  the  latter's  dethronement  in 
1810,  declared  them  an  integral  part  of  France. 

At  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  in  ]81o — her  com- 
merce and  fisheries,  formerly  the  most  extensive  in 
the  world,  having  been  all  but  destroyed  in  the  revo- 
lutionary wars — Holland  became  a  limited  monarchy. 
The  Netherlands  were  severed  from  the  empire,  raised 
into  a  kingdom,  bestowed  on  the  house  of  Orange,  and, 
after  a  long  separation,  attached  to  Holland.  But  in 
1830,  the  union  never  having  been  properly  cemented, 
Belgium,  rising  at  the  earliest  indications  of  Euro- 


384       HISTORY  FOR   BOYS. -HOLLAND.   ETC. 

pean  revolution,  shook  off  the  yoke  of  Holland,  and 
was  formed  into  a  kingdom,  the  crown  of  which  was 
bestowed  upon  Prince  Leopold  The  little  monarchy 
thus  created  was  well-nigh  crushed  in  its  infancy  by 
the  obstinacy  of  the  King  of  Holland  ;  but  a  French 
army  having  forced  the  Dutch  garrison  to  evacuate 
Antwerp,  security  was  established 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HISTORY    OF    PRUSSIA. 

About  the  eleventh  century,  the  Prussians,  or  in- 
habitants of  the  deserts  between  Poland  and  the  Bal- 
tic, were  known  to  the  more  civihzed  nations  of  Eu- 
rope as  barbarians  living  on  the  blood  of  horses,  and 
gratifying  their  superstitious  imaginations  with  the 
worship  of  serpents ;  and,  somewhat  later,  they 
proved  their  courage  by  resisting  the  inroads  of  the 
Polish  kings. 

The  Prussians  were  still  Pagans,  when,  in  1227, 
the  Teutonic  knights,  returning  from  the  Holy  Land, 
undertook  their  conversion  with  sword  and  lance. 
Many  years  of  bloodshed  ensued  ;  and,  in  1453,  the 
Prussians  were  in  danger  of  utter  extirpation,  when 
the  King  of  Poland  interfered  in  their  behalf,  and 
compelled  the  Teutonic  order  to  surrender  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  country  and  do  homage  for  the  remain- 
der. 

The  religious  knights,  from  whom  descended  most 

of  the  Prussian  nobles,  made  repeated  attempts  to 

throw  off  the  Polish  sovereignty,  but  in  vain  ;  till,  in 

1 525,  Albert,  Margrave  of  Brandenburg,  grand-raas- 

Bb 


386  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— PRUSSIA. 

ter  of  the  order,  after  embracing  the  Lutheran  faith, 
consented  to  share  the  realm  with  his  kinsman,  Sigis- 
mund  of  Poland,  and  perform  homage,  on  condition 
of  receiving  that  sovereign's  protection.  The  domina- 
tion of  the  Teutonic  knights  was  thus  treacherously 
terminated ;  and  Prussia  continued  in  vassalage  to 
Poland  till  1657,  when  it  was  released  from  allegi- 
ance in  the  time  of  Frederick  WilHam,  known  as  the 
Great  Elector  of  Brandenburg. 

Frederick,  son  of  the  Great  Elector,  had  scarcely 
succeeded  to  the  paternal  authority,  when  a  trifling 
accident  led  him  to  aspire  to  royal  dignity.  On  the 
occasion  of  a  Conference  at  the  Hague,  in  1695,  Wil- 
liam III.,  king  of  England,  refused  to  allow  him  an 
arm-chair ;  and  the  Elector,  nettled  at  such  treat- 
ment from  one  who  had  lately  been  only  Prince  of 
Orange,  resolved  on  having  a  regal  crown  without 
any  unnecessary  delay.  Every  species  of  influence 
was  exerted  with  the  Emperor  and  the  other  Euro- 
pean princes  to  obtain  their  consent  to  Brandenburg 
being  erected  into  a  kingdom  ;  and,  in  1701,  after 
many  negotiations,  the  Elector  was  crowned  at  Kon- 
ingsberg  as  King  of  Prussia.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed with  the  utmost  decorum,  with  a  trifling  ex- 
ception. The  dueen,  a  beautiful  sister  of  our  first 
George,  seized  a  favorable  opportunity  to  indulge  in 
a  pinch  of  snuff";  but  the  King,  turning  his  eyes  on 
her  at  that  very  moment,  immediately  sent  one  of  his 
gentlemen  to  ask  if  she  remembered  the  place  in 


CONVERSION    INTO   A   KINGDOM.  387 

which  she  was  and  the  rank  she  held.  In  honol 
of  this  occasion,  Frederick  created  the  order  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Black  Eagle.  This  first  King  of  Prus- 
sia, after  a  peaceful  reign,  died  in  1713;  and  he  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Frederick  AYilliain  I. 

During  the  earlier  half  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
that  extraordinary  sovereign,  dressed  in  a  long  blue 
coat  with  copper  buttons,  spatterdashes  of  a  white 
color,  strong  shoes,  with  square  toes  and  high  heels, 
might  have  been  observed  to  walk  forth  from  the 
Palace  of  Berlin,  with  a  sergeant's  cane  in  his  hand, 
to  review  his  favorite  regiment  of  guards.  This  was 
composed  of  the  tallest  men  who  could  be  procured 
for  love  or  money,  and  was  the  delight  of  the  King's 
heart.  Believing  that  a  state  wanted  nothing  but 
troops  and  economy  to  make  it  flourish,  he  collected 
an  army  of  sixty-six  thousand  men,  and  amassed 
wealth  by  buying  up  the  estates  of  the  impoverisjied 
nobility  and  farming  them  out  to  tax-gatherers.  He 
died  in  1740,  leaving  an  efficient  army  and  a  well- 
filled  treasury  to  the  son  who  was  to  continue  the 
creation  of  the  empire,  and  make  it  rank  in  import- 
ance with  the  ancient  monarchies  of  Europe. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1712,  that  royal  person- 
age, destined  to  render  the  name  of  Prussia  great  and 
celebrated  among  the  nations,  and  to  be  recognized  by 
posterity  as  Frederick  the  Great,  first  saw  the  light  at 
Berlin,  the  capital  of  his  paternal  dominions.  Though 
his  father  hated  the  French,  the  boy  was  intrusted  in 


388  HISTORY  KOR   BOYS.-HIUSSIA. 

infancy  to  a  lady  of  that  nation,  and  became  so  famil- 
iar with  her  language  that  he  afterward  entertained 
for  it  a  peculiar  partiality.  At  the  early  age  of  seven 
he  was  placed  under  the  tuition  of  a  colonel  of  dra- 
goons ;  but  though  the  old  King's  darhng  object  was 
to  inspire  his  son  with  a  taste  for  mihtary  affairs,  the 
Prince  Royal  gave  unmistakable  indications  of  being 
a  man  of  letters  as  well  as  a  man  of  action,  and  ap- 
plied himself  diligently  to  poetry  and  music,  while 
drilling  young  gentlemen  cadets  for  the  amusement 
of  his  father's  visitors.  About  his  eighteenth  year, 
the  handsome  and  popular  Prince  was  so  annoyed  at 
the  violence  and  austerity  with  which  the  eccentric 
King  treated  him,  that  he  resolved  to  escape  to  France 
or  England.  But  the  design  being  discovered,  one  of 
his  accomplices  was  beheaded ;  another  was  treated 
with  the  utmost  severity ;  and  the  Prince,  after  six 
months'  imprisormient  in  the  marsh-surrounded  cita- 
del of  Custrin,  narrowly  escaped  capital  punishment. 
Liberated  at  the  entreaty  of  his  mother,  and  compel- 
led to  many  a  German  princess,  he  applied  himself 
to  study  with  great  diligence,  pacified  his  sire  by  pro- 
curing some  tall  soldiers,  and,  in  1734,  crossing  the 
Rhine,  joined  Prince  Eugene  and  the  Imperial  army. 
On  his  father's  decease,  he  ascended  the  throne  ;  and 
as  the  territories  over  which  he  ruled  as  King  and 
Elector  were  not  extensive  enough  to  satisfy  his  ar- 
dent ambition,  he  commenced  his  eventful  reign  by 
seizing  two  districts  of  the  Bishopric  of  Liege ;  and 


FREDERICK    TUE    GRFAT. 


CONQUEST   OF   SILESIA.  391 

scarcely  had  he  done  so  when  the  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many died,  leaving  the  Austrian  dominions  to  his 
daughter,  Maria  Theresa. 

"When  the  news  was  carried  to  Frederick,  he  was 
at  Rhineberg  struggling  with  a  fever,  but  the  intelli- 
gence hastened  his  recovery  ;  and,  eager  for  celebrity, 
lie  prepared  to  make  good  an  ancient  claim  of  his 
family  to  the  Duchy  of  Silesia.  Thither  he  forthwith 
marched  at  the  head  of  thirty  thousand  men,  before 
whom  he  caused  the  Roman  Eagle  to  be  carried  on 
a  gilt  pole  as  a  token  of  invincibility.  The  invaders 
at  first  encountered  little  resistance,  but  gradually  the 
Austrian  troops  assembled,  and  instructions  were  sent 
to  their  general  to  hazard  an  engagement.  In  April, 
1741,  a  battle  took  place  at  the  village  of  Moldwilz, 
and  victory  inchned  to  the  Austrians ;  but  the  Prus- 
sian infantry  stood  so  firm,  that  after  several  hours' 
conflict,  the  enemy  retreated  with  immense  loss,  and 
Frederick,  pursuing  his  triumph,  entered  Breslau,  the 
capital  of  the  Duchy. 

The  great  hall  of  the  state-house  was  on  an  early 
day  opened  for  the  reception  of  the  Silesian  nobles, 
clergy,  and  burghers,  to  do  homage  to  the  conqueror, 
and  thither  they  repaired  in  pompous  equipages,  along 
streets  thronged  with  people  and  guarded  by  soldierp. 
At  noon  the  victorious  King  appeared  in  a  phaetoj-, 
drawn  by  eight  horses,  and  entered  the  hall.  His 
stature  w^as  not  remarkable  for  tallness,  but  his  air 
was  noble,  his  look  sprightly,  and  his  pleasing  coun- 


392  HISTORY   FOR    BOYS.— PRUSSIA. 

tenance  was  set  off  by  large  blue  eyes,  and  bright 
brown  hair,  negligently  curled.  The  assembled  Sile- 
sians  swore  fealty  to  him  as  their  king ;  a  sumptuous 
banquet  closed  the  ceremony  ;  a  masquerade  ball  fol- 
lowed ;  and  illuminations  threw  a  brilliancy  over  the 
conquered  city. 

Great  was  the  joy  and  loud  the  welcome  of  tho  in- 
habitants of  Berlin  when  their  King  returned  from  his 
victorious  expedition.  His  court  became  particularly 
splendid ;  and  fourteen  foreign  princes  were  among 
the  crowd  of  strangers  who  resorted  to  Berlin.  Mean- 
while the  courage  with  which  the  heroic  Maria  The- 
resa had  faced  her  difficulties  rendered  it  necessary 
for  Frederick  to  undertake  a  campaign  for  the  defense 
of  his  conquests,  and  the  victory  of  Czaslau,  where  the 
Prussian  infantry  redeemed  the  day  which  the  caval- 
ry had  lost,  rendered  the  Prussian  King  so  formidable, 
that  Maria  Theresa  concluded  a  treaty,  by  which  Si- 
lesia remained  in  his  possession. 

Mindful  that  peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  re- 
nowned than  war,  Frederick  now  devoted  himself  to 
the  formation  of  an  Academy  of  Sciences  and  Belles- 
lettres  ;  but,  in  1744,  he  once  more  assumed  his  mar- 
tial attire,  placed  himself  at  tho  head  of  his  troops, 
invaded  the  kingdom  of  Bohemia,  and  took  the  city 
of  Prague.  But  Charles  of  Lorraine,  brother-in-law 
of  Maria  Theresa,  stopped  the  King's  progress,  and 
caused  him  to  retreat  precipitately  to  Berlin  with 
great  loss. 


DOMESTIC   AFFAIRS.  393 

On  the  decease  of  the  Emperor  Charles,  at  Munich, 
in  great  misery,  Frederick  once  more  drew  the  sword, 
and  excited  much  alarm  in  Germany  by  the  activity 
of  his  movements  and  the  success  of  his  operations. 
After  concluding  the  Peace  of  Dresden,  he  returned 
in  triumph  to  his  hereditary  dominions.  He  now 
applied  himself  to  domestic  aflairs,  adopted  means  for 
increasing  the  population  of  his  realm,  encouraged 
French  Huguenots  to  settle  therein,  expended  vast 
sums  in  cleanng  waste  lands,  and  improved  the  coun- 
try by  the  construction  of  many  navigable  canals. 
Besides,  he  instituted  the  Frederician  code,  a  body  of 
laws  for  the  government  of  his  subjects,  and  published 
his  Memoirs  of  the  House  of  Brandenburg,  and  his 
poem  on  the  Art  of  War. 

One  day,  as  Frederick  was  walking  over  a  hill 
hard  by  the  gate  of  Potsdam,  he  halted  on  the  summit, 
and  was  so  struck  by  the  beautiful  prospect,  that  he 
erected  thereon  a  royal  palace,  in  which  he  was  re 
siding  when  visited,  in  1750,  by  the  famous  Voltaire. 
The  French  philosopher  was,  after  much  persuasion, 
induced  to  remain  in  Prussia,  and  for  a  time  was  in 
very  high  favor  with  the  King,  but  in  1752  serious 
misunderstandings  occurred.  Voltaire  had  a  disrepu' 
table  wrangle  with  a  Jew,  and  interfered  in  an  aca- 
demical dispute  in  opposition  to  Frederick.  This  led 
to  unpleasantness  ;  and  the  skeptic  philosopher,  having 
exercised  his  satiric  faculty  at  the  expense  of  his  royal 
patron,  was  requested  to  leave  the  kingdom.     Voltaire 


394  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— PRL'SSIA. 

did  so  ;  but  happening  to  carry  with  him  the  manu- 
script of  a  poem  by  the  Prussian  monarch,  he  was  ar- 
rested, with  his  niece,  at  Frankfort,  and  forced  to  de- 
hver  up  tlie  volume. 

Frederick's  attention  was  soon  attracted  toward 
other  matters  ;  for,  after  an  enmity  of  three  centuries, 
the  Houses  of  Bourbon  and  Austria  formed  a  close 
alliance,  and  the  Prussian  monarch,  to  his  surprise, 
found  himself  an  enemy  of  France  and  a  fiuend  of 
England.  Now  commenced  the  Seven  Years'  ^Yar, 
in  the  course  of  which  Frederick  encountered  his 
enemies  in  several  battles,  and  maintained  himself 
against  fearful  odds,  till  a  peace,  which  left  Prussia 
great  and  influential,  was  restored  by  the  treaty  of  Hu- 
bertsburg  in  17G3.  The  great  Frederick  survived  till 
17S6,  when  he  was  interred  in  the  Garrison  Church 
at  Potsdam,  leaving  to  his  country  a  reputation,  not 
spotless  indeed,  but  for  wisdom  and  valor  far  superior 
lo  that  of  any  prince  of  the  age. 

Frederick  AVilliam  II.,  nephew  of  the  renowned 
King,  next  reigned  over  the  Prussians,  and  lived  into 
the  stormy  times  of  the  French  Revolution,  against  the 
progress  of  which  he  formed  a  league  in  1792.  The 
fiery  monarch  declared  war  against  France,  but  grow- 
ing tired  of  a  contest  in  which  he  could  reap  neither 
gloiy  nor  advantage,  he  concluded  a  treaty  with  the 
Republic  in  1705.  Two  years  later  he  died,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Frederick  William  III.  The 
new  king  pursued   a  vacillating  policy.     In    1801, 


STRUGGLE  WITH    FRANCE.  395 

irritated  at  the  ^izure  of  one  of  his  vessels,  he  com- 
plained of  the  oppressions  of  Great  Britain,  and  send- 
ing a  body  of  troops  into  Hanover,  seized  the  capital, 
and  afterward  accepted  the  Electorate  from  Bonaparte. 
But,  in  1806,  Frederick  William,  resolved  to  break 
with  the  great  Emperor,  formed  a  Confederation  of 
the  Northern  States  to  oppose  the  Confederation  of 
the  Rhine,  and  insulted  the  French  embassador  at 
Berlin.  Prussia  now  prepared  for  war ;  and  the 
(dueen,  in  all  the  pride  of  youth  and  beauty,  arrayed 
herself  in  militaiy  costume,  mounted  a  war  charger, 
and  traversed  the  streets  of  the  capital  to  excite  the 
martial  enthusiasm  of  the  populace.  "  She  looks," 
said  Bonaparte  admiringly,  "  like  Armida,  in  her  dis- 
traction setting  fire  to  her  own  palace."  The  war 
almost  extinguished  the  Prussian  monarchy  ;  the  army 
was  totally  defeated  at  Jena  and  Auerstadt,  and  tlie 
Peace  of  Tilsit  left  the  descendant  of  the  great  Fred- 
erick little  more  than  a  nominal  sovereignty. 

The  Prussians  suffered  much  during  the  next  seven 
years.  Their  fortresses  were  occupied  by  the  French  ; 
the  fields  lay  uncultivated ;  commerce  languished  ; 
and  industry  was  paralyzed.  Tlie  high  spirit  of  the 
(iueen,  whom  personal  grace  and  dignity  had  rendered 
highly  popular,  was  broken  by  the  misfortunes  of  her 
country,  and,  in  1810,  she  expired  in  the  prime  of 
womanhood.  Her  death  so  afflicted  the  bereaved 
husband,  that  he  well-nigh  acted  on  a  resolution  of 
abandoning  affiiirs  of  state,  and  seeking  consolation  in 


396  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— PRUSSIA. 

seclusion.  His  troops  were  employed  as  auxiliaries 
against  Russia,  but,  after  the  disastrous  campaign  of 
1812,  he  was  invited  by  the  Czar  to  declare  war 
against  France.  He  oHered  his  mediation,  which 
Bonaparte  rejected  ;  but  matters  could  not  rest  there; 
i'or  Berlin  was  in  the  hands  of  the  French,  while  the 
inhabitants  sympathized  with  the  Russians,  and  daily 
tumults,  in  consequence,  occurred.  Ultimately  the 
King  threw  oft^  his  indecision  ;  the  French  troops 
evacuated  the  city,  and  the  Russians  took  possession. 
Prussia  ere  long  profited  largely  by  this  step,  for 
the  congress  of  Vienna  restored  more  than  her  former 
importance,  and  the  Prussians,  under  Blucher,  shared 
in  the  glories  of  Waterloo.  The  King,  whom  the  Em- 
peror Napoleon  characterized  as  the  "  greatest  idiot 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,"  survived  till  1840,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Frederick  William  IV.,  the 
present  King  of  Prussia 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HISTORY    OF   DENMAKK. 

The  Celts,  who  originally  inhabited  the  islands  of 
the  Baltic,  were  early  displaced  by  fierce  Germanic 
tribes,  who,  settling  in  Denmark,  and  animated  by 
a  daring  spirit  of  adventure,  commenced  depreda- 
tions in  all  parts  of  Europe.  Worshipers  of  Odin, 
and,  as  such,  cheerful  in  danger,  laughing  at  death, 
and  steeled  against  fear,  they,  unhesitating,  launched 
their  light  barks  on  the  raging  sea,  and,  unfurling 
their  magic  banners,  sailed  forth  to  foreign  shores  in 
quest  of  adventure.  They  besieged  and  burned  Paris, 
infested  the  coasts  of  England,  and  planted  powerful 
colonies  in  the  northern  counties  of  the  latter  king- 
dom. Though  yielding  for  a  season,  after  a  severe 
struggle,  to  the  valor  and  genius  of  Alfred  the  Great, 
the  English  Danes  did  not  for  a  moment  forget  of 
what  race  they  were  ;  and  at  all  times  they  were 
ready  to  take  part  with  the  invading  hosts,  who  ap- 
peared periodically  on  the  coasts  of  Kent  or  Northum- 
berland. 

At  the  close  of  the  tenth  century  the  Danish  branch 
of  the  great  Scandinavian  family  owned  as  their  King 


3»8  HISTORV    FOR    BOYS  -DENMARK. 

Swell,  the  grandson  of  Gurra ;  and,  in  the  year  994, 
that  sovereign,  in  company  with  Olaf,  King  of  Nor- 
way, invaded  England,  and  twice  compelled  Ethelred 
the  Saxon  to  pay  an  enormous  sum  of  money  on  con- 
dition of  their  retiring.  The  money  was  raised  by  a 
tax  called  Danegeld  ;  and  many  of  the  ravagers  re- 
turned to  their  northern  home  with  their  terrible 
KinfT.  Several  of  his  subjects,  however,  deeming 
England  a  pleasant  residence,  remained  behind  ;  kept 
the  Anglo-Saxons  in  perpetual  dread  of  a  new  inva- 
sion ;  lived  in  ease  and  luxury ;  and  forced  the  na- 
tives to  labor,  that  their  demands  might  be  satisfied. 
Assuming  the  bearing  of  conquerors,  they  even  affect- 
ed a  superiority  in  social  refinement,  and  prided  them- 
selves highly  on  combing  their  hair,  shaving  their 
faces,  bathing  regularly  once  a-week,  and  frequently 
changing  their  garments. 

The  oppressive  exactions  of  these  Lord-Danes,  as 
they  were  in  hatred  called,  roused  the  Anglo-Saxons 
to  thoughts  of  vengeance,  and  a  plot  was  formed  for 
massacring  all  the  Danish  settlers.  Scenes  of  terrible 
cruelty  were  perpetrated  ;  and  holes  w^ere  dug  in  the 
earth,  in  which  the  Danish  women  were  planted  as 
deep  as  the  waist,  while  their  shoulders  were  mangled 
and  torn  to  pieces  by  fierce  mastiffs.  Among  the  un- 
fortunate victims  on  this  occasion  was  a  sister  of  King 
Swen.  She  had  married  a  noble  Dane,  embraced 
Christianity,  and  exerted  her  influence  to  promote 
peace  and  good-will  between  the  two  hostile  races. 


THE   DANES    IN    ENGLAND.  303 

But  her  many  excellences  did  not  save  lier  on  that 
dety  of  retribution  ;  for,  her  children  having  been  slain 
before  her  eyes,  she  was  remorselessly  beheaded. 

When  news  of  the  tragical  event  arrived  in  Den- 
mark, the  King  swore  that  he  would  never  rest  until 
he  had  exacted  a  terrible  vengeance.  Swen  forthwith 
fitted  out  a  formidable  fleet,  and,  after  repeated  at- 
tempts, rendered  himself  master  of  England,  and  was, 
without  opposition,  proclaimed  king  of  that  country. 
There  he  remained  till  his  death  in  1014,  when  his 
son,  Canute  the  Great,  aspired  to  the  sovereignty. 

While  that  renowned  prince  was  endeavoring  to 
establish  his  claim,  his  younger  brother,  being  left  in 
Denmark,  seized  upon  the  hereditary  crown ;  and 
Canute  was  under  the  necessity  of  abandoning  En- 
gland for  a  period,  to  vindicate  his  birth-right.  With- 
in a  year  he  arranged  the  matter  to  his  satisfaction, 
and,  having  mustered  an  army,  commenced  the  sub- 
jugation of  England,  of  which  he  was  at  length  ac- 
knowledged as  King.  He  had  scarcely  restored  the 
conquered  country  to  tranquillity,  when  his  Dani.sh 
subjects  were  involved  in  war  with  the  Vandals  ;  and 
Canute,  hastening  home,  was  triumphant  in  encounter- 
ing them.  He  next  inidertook  an  expedition  against 
the  Swedes,  who  had  invaded  his  territory  ;  and 
though  this  enterprise  was  not  quite  successful,  in 
1027,  he  had  the  distinction  of  obtaining  possession, 
and  being  crowned  King  of  Norway. 

Canute  signalized  his  reign  by  a  memorable  revo- 


400  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— DENMARK. 

lutiou  in  religion.  Tiie  conversion  of  the  Danes  to 
Christianity  had  commenced  as  early  as  tlie  ninth 
century ;  but  the  process  had  been  particularly  slow. 
Very  little  progress  had  been  made,  and  they  had  still 
delighted  in  the  desecration  of  churches,  the  murder 
of  prelates,  and  the  slaughter  of  monks.  Canute  now 
decreed  that  Christianity  should  be  received  through- 
out his  extensive  dominions,  founded  several  religious 
houses,  and  undertook  a  devout  pilgrimage  to  Rome, 
to  obtain  the  patronage  of  the  Pope. 

These  were'  proud  days  for  the  Danes ;  for  their 
king,  as  sovereign  of  three  countries,  was  one  of  the 
most  considerable  potentates  of  Europe,  and  not  un- 
worthy of  Jiis  high  honors.  Nevertheless,  he  was  not 
insensible  of  the  vanity  of  sublunary  greatness.  One 
day,  as  he  was  walking  along  the  sea-shore  at  South- 
ampton, his  courtiers  not  only  extolled  him  as  one  of 
the  greatest  of  human  beings,  but  even  described  him 
as  a  god.  To  illustrate  the  folly  of  their  remarks,  Ca- 
nute ordered  a  chair  to  be  brought,  and,  seating  him- 
self where  the  tide  was  about  to  flow,  turned  toward 
the  blue  waters,  and  said,  "  Oh  sea  I  thou  art  under 
my  jurisdiction,  and  the  land  where  I  sit  is  mine  ;  I 
command  thee  to  come  no  farther,  nor  to  presume  to 
wet  thy  sovereign's  feet."  But  the  resounding  billows 
moving  onward  to  his  chair,  the  King  rose  and  im- 
pressed upon  his  flatterers,  that  none  but  the  King  of 
heaven,  whom  the  land  and  the  sea  obeyed,  was  en* 
titled  to  the  praises  which  they  had  just   showered 


THE   UNION   OF   CALMAR.  401 

upon  a  mortal.  From  that  date,  the  royal  Dane 
wore  his  crown  no  more,  but  caused  it  to  be  suspend- 
ed on  a  crucifix  at  Winchester,  where  his  remains 
were  consigned  to  the  dust  in  1036. 

Hardicanute,  the  son  of  the  great  departed,  then 
became  King  of  Denmark,  and  the  inhabitants  turned 
their  attention  to  peaceful  pursuits.  Their  first  source 
of  wealth  was  the  herring-fishery  on  the  coast  of  Scho- 
nen  ;  and  the  traders  of  all  nations  came  to  exchange 
gold,  silver,  and  precious  commodities  for  herrings  ;  so 
that  when  the  thirteenth  century  arrived,  the  Danes, 
who  had  formerly  been  clad  for  the  most  part  in  the 
coarse  garb  of  sailors,  arrayed  themselves  in  purple, 
scarlet,  and  fine  linen. 

Time  passed  on,  and  more  than  three  centuries  after 
Canute  had  been  laid  at  rest  in  the  old  monastery  at 
Winchester,  Margaret,  daughter  of  the  Danish  King 
Waldemar,  and  widow  of  Hacquin  of  Norway,  on  the 
death  of  her  son  Olaus,  ascended  the  throne  of  Den- 
mark with  the  consent  of  the  States.  This  royal  wid- 
ow, being  a  princess  of  courage  and  address,  procured 
her  election  as  Queen  of  Norway,  and  subsequently, 
by  expelling  Albert  of  Mecklenburg,  acquired  the  sov- 
ereignty of  Sweden — thus  uniting  three  crowns  on  her 
fair  brow.  Ambitious  of  writing  her  name  indelibly 
in  the  annals  of  Northern  Europe,  Margaret,  known 
as  "  the  Semiramis  of  the  North,"  conceived  the  pro- 
ject of  a  perpetual  union  of  the  three  kingdoms,  and 
in  1397,  brought  about  the  celebrated  treaty  of  Cal- 
Cc 


402  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— DENMARK. 

mar,  which  declared  that  Denmark,  Norway,  and 
Sweden,  should  from  that  date  remain  under  one  and 
the  same  sovereign.  Under  her  successor,  Eric,  the 
Swedes  revolted  against  the  union  and  chose  a  king  ; 
but  they  returned  to  their  allegiance  when  the  Count 
of  Oldenburgh,  progenitor  of  the  present  royal  family 
of  Denmark,  ascended  the  throne  of  Canute  as  Chris- 
tian I. 

This  renewed  union,  with  a  few  interruptions, 
endured  tdl  1523,  when  the  intolerable  cruelties  of 
Christian  II.,  "  the  Nero  of  the  North,"  caused  his 
subjects  to  rise  in  rebellion.  The  inhabitants  of  Jut- 
land were  the  first  to  throw  off  the  tyrant's  yoke  ; 
and  they  deputed  Munce,  their  chief  justice,  to  in- 
form the  King  that  he  had  ceased  to  reign.  The 
commission  was  perilous  ;  but  Munce,  glorying  in  the 
danger,  exclaimed,  "  My  name  ought  to  be  written 
over  the  gates  of  aU  wicked  princes."  Christian,  in 
his  distress,  implored  assistance  from  the  Emperor 
Charles,  but  none  was  rendered ;  and  after  several 
ineffectual  efforts  to  recover  his  crown,  the  deposed 
King  expired  in  prison. 

His  uncle,  Frederick,  Duke  of  Holstein,  then  as- 
cended the  throne  of  Denmark,  and  was  succeeded  in 
1535  by  his  son.  Christian  III.,  who  speedily  proved 
himself  one  of  the  most  sagacious  princes  of  that  age. 
In  his  reign  the  Lutheran  faith  was  established  in  the 
nation ;  and  his  grandson,  Christian  IV.,  appeared  as 
chief  of  the  Protestant  cause  at  the  opening  of  the 


WARS   WITH   SWEDEN.  403 

Thirty  Years'  War.  But  having  been  defeated  in  a 
great  battle  by  the  Imperial  General,  Count  Tilly, 
Christian  resigned  that  post  of  honor,  and  signed  the 
peace  of  Lubeck  in  1G25.  His  son,  Frederick  III., 
ascended,  the  Danish  throne  in  1648,  and  was  pre- 
vailed upon  by  the  Dutch  to  declare  war  against 
Sweden.  The  King  of  that  country,  in  consequence, 
entered  Denmark,  and  besieged  Copenhagen,  which 
was  only  saved  by  the  timely  arrival  of  a  Dutch  fleet. 
A  second  attack  was  made  in  1659,  and  Copenhagen 
was  in  the  utmost  peril ;  but  the  English  and  Dutch 
resolving  to  mediate,  a  fleet  appeared,  having  on  board 
the  famous  repubhcan,  Algernon  Sidney,  who,  as  em- 
bassador of  England  and  Holland,  demanded  unqual- 
ified submission  to  his  delegated  authority.  "  It  is 
cruel,"  exclaimed  the  haughty  Swedish  monarch  in 
bitter  wrath  at  this  interference,  "  that  laws  should 
be  prescribed  to  me  by  parricides  and  peddlers  ;"  but, 
apprehensive  of  his  army  being  starved,  he  agreed  to 
a  pacification,  and  retired  into  his  own  country. 

Though  Frederick,  by  his  wars  with  Sweden,  lost 
much  valuable  territory,  the  Danes  were  inspired  with 
so  high  an  admiration  of  his  gallant  bearing  and  of 
the  interest  he  manifested  in  the  welfare  of  his  sub- 
jects, that  to  terminate  the  oppression  experienced  at 
the  hands  of  the  nobles,  they,  in  1660,  requested  their 
King  to  take  all  power  into  his  own  hands.  Thus  the 
crown,  which  had  hitherto  been  elective,  was  rendered 
hereditary  in  the  royal  house,  and  his  son,  Christian 


404  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— DENMARK. 

v.,  succeeded  in  1670,  as  an  absolute  sovereign. 
After  exhausting  his  resources  in  fruitless  military 
operations,  he  became  the  ally  and  subsidiary  of 
France,  and  left  the  crown  to  his  son,  Frederick  IV., 
who  took  part  in  the  confederacy  against  the  King  of 
Sweden — the  famous  Charles  XII.  That  royal  hero 
laid  siege  to  Copenhagen  ;  and  in  his  impatience  to 
reach  the  shore,  enthusiastically  leaped  into  the  sea, 
sword  in  hand.  His  courageous  example  was  followed 
by  the  soldiers,  and  straightway  the  Danish  troops  fled 
in  terror  and  dismay.  It  was  then  that  the  Swedish 
monarch,  astonished  at  the  discharge  of  musketry,  in- 
quired of  an  officer  what  caused  the  whistling  noise  he 
heard.  "  It  is  the  sound  of  the  bullets  they  fire  against 
your  Majesty,"  replied  the  other.  "  Very  well,"  said 
the  Swede,  "  that  shall  henceforth  be  my  music,"  and 
the  assault  was  hotly  pressed.  But  the  citizens  sent 
deputies,  who,  on  bended  knees,  implored  the  invading 
sovereign  not  to  destroy  the  town  ;  and  a  large  sum 
of  money  being  paid  to  him,  a  peace  was  forthwith 
signed  at  Travendal. 

King  Frederick  died  in  1730,  and  his  son,  Chris- 
tian VI.,  was  so  successful  in  cultivating  the  arts  of 
peace  and  promoting  the  national  prosperity,  that  his 
subjects  honored  him  with  the  appellation  of  the 
Father  of  his  People.  Frederick  V.  emulated  his  roy- 
al sire's  example,  and,  after  a  reign  of  twenty  years, 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Christian  VII.,  who  soon 
after  received  as  his  bride  Caroline  Matilda,  sister  of 


THE   QUEEN    AND   COI^NT   STRUENSE.      405 

our  third  George.  The  ill-fated  English  princess  had 
scarcely  become  accustomed  to  her  new  honors,  when 
she  was  accused  of  a  too  close  intimacy  with  Count 
Struense,  the  King's  favorite  and  minister,  and  of  a 
conspiracy  with  him  and  Count  Brandt  to  dethrone 
her  husband.  The  two  counts  were  apprehended,  put 
in  irons,  and  subsequently  beheaded.  The  unhappy 
Q,ueen  was  likewise  arrested  and  confined  m  the  castle 
of  Cronenburgh.  Afterward  a  small  squadron  of 
British  ships  conveyed  her  to  Germany ;  the  city  of 
Zell  was  appointed  for  her  residence ;  and  there  she 
was  cut  off  by  a  malignant  fever  in  the  twenty-fourth 
year  of  her  age. 

As  the  evening  of  his  life  approached,  the  Danish 
King  became  so  imbecile  in  mind,  that  the  functions 
of  government  devolved  upon  the  Prmce  Royal,  who 
straightway  effected  most  desirable  reforms  in  the 
condition  of  the  peasantry.  These,  since  1G60,  had 
been  in  a  state  of  slavery,  and  had  not  the  jjov/er 
of  removing  from  one  estate  to  another  without  pur- 
chasing the  permission  of  their  masters.  In  case  of 
leaving  without  that  degrading  process,  they  were 
claimed  and  brought  back  hke  stray  cattle ;  but 
from  the  reproach  attaching  to  such  an  iniquitous 
system,  Denmark  was  now  fortunately  freed. 

In  1801,  when  a  serious  dispute  occurred  between 
England  and  the  Northern  powers,  relative  to  the 
right  of  search  of  neutral  vessels,  Denmark  bore  a 
prominent  and  perilous  part,  and  prepared  to  resist 


406  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.— DENMARK.     ' 

the  mistress  of  the  sea.  An  armed  flotilla  was  sta- 
tioned before  Copenhagen,  and  flanked  by  extensive 
batteries ;  but  the  great  Nelson  passed  the  Sound 
with  an  English  fleet,  destroyed  eighteen  Danish 
ships-of-war,  and  brought  matters  to  accommoda- 
tion. From  the  commencement  of  the  revolution- 
ary wars,  Denmark  rejected  every  invitation  to  take 
part  against  France,  and  for  a  time  maintained 
neutrality.  But  in  1807,  the  English  Government 
having  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  Danish  navy 
would  be  used  for  the  invasion  of  the  British  isles, 
bombarded  Copenhagen  with  a  powei^ful  armament 
and  fleet,  under  Lord  Catheart  and  Admiral  Gam- 
bier.  The  city  was  set  on  fire  and  threatened  with 
destruction,  when  the  Danish  general  sent  out  a 
flag  of  truce.  By  a  capitulation,  the  Danish  fleet 
was  surrendered  till  a  general  peace  ;  and  the  vessels 
and  stores  having  been  sent  to  England,  the  place 
was  abandoned. 

This  attack  rankled  in  the  heart  of  the  Danish 
sovereign  and  his  subjects.  But  the  misery  endured 
by  the  country  at  length  induced  Frederick  VI.,  in 
1813,  to  dispatch  an  embassador  to  London,  and 
soon  after  to  separate  his  interests  from  those  of 
France,  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  with  England, 
and  surrender  Norway  to  Sweden.  At  the  Con- 
gress of  Vienna,  that  territorial  arrangement  was 
maintained. 

In   1835,  a  remarkable  circumstance  occurred  in 


DISPUTES   WITH   ENGLAND.  407 

the  afiairs  of  Denmark.  Since  the  days  of  the  third 
Frederick,  the  government  had  been  desjDotic ;  but 
Frederick  VI.  came  voluntarily  forw^ard  and  granted 
a  representative  assembly  to  assist  him  in  the  ad- 
ministration. He  was  succeeded  by  Christian  VIIL, 
whose  son,  Frederick  VII.,  is  the  present  King  of  Den- 
mark. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HISTORY   OF    SWEDEN. 

The  ancient  Swedes  were  a  fierce  and  contentious 
nation,  divided  into  a  number  of  petty  states,  each 
owning  the  sway  of  a  distinct  chieftain,  and  indulg- 
ing in  rapine  and  carnage.  In  the  twelfth  century 
flourished  St.  Eric,  a  Swedish  king,  who  won  celebrity 
and  arrived  at  the  honors  of  canonization  ;  and  whose 
banner,  on  the  fold  of  which  were  emblazoned  a  dra- 
gon and  a  lamb,  to  denote  the  sainted  monarch's 
prowess  in  war  and  his  gentleness  in  peace,  w^as  long 
preserved  as  a  sacred  relic  in  the  Cathedral  of  Upsala, 
and  regarded  by  the  Swedes  as  the  palladium  of 
victory. 

More  than  a  hundred  years  later,  Magnus  Ladis- 
laus,  after  being  crowned  King  of  Sweden,  had  the 
distinction  of  maintaining  the  royal  authority  and 
holding  the  warlike  Danes  in  check  ;  but  under  his 
less  vigorous  successors,  tumult  and  disorder  returned 
and  desolated  the  land,  till,  in  1394,  the  three  North- 
ern crowns  were  united  on  the  forehead  of  Marga- 
ret Waldemar,  who  brought  about  the  union  of  Cal- 


GUSTAVUS   VASA.  409 

When  Christian  II.  was  crowned  King  of  Den- 
mark, Norway,  and  Sweden,  that  "  Nero  of  the 
North"  signalized  the  occasion  by  a  tragical  scene. 
To  secure  his  authority,  he  projected  the  extirpation 
of  the  Swedish  chieftains,  and  with  that  view — after 
obtaining  the  sanction  of  a  papal  bull — invited  the 
nobles  and  senators  to  a  magnificent  entertainment. 
The  festivities  lasted  three  days  ;  on  the  last  of  which, 
in  an  hour  of  conviviality,  the  banquet-hall  was  sud- 
denly filled  with  armed  men,  who  seized  the  devoted 
guests  and  dragged  them  to  the  gates  of  the  palace. 
There  a  scafibld  was  erected,  and  ninety-four  persons 
of  high  rank  were  mercilessly  executed. 

Among  the  unfortunate  victims  of  Christian's  jeal- 
ousy, Avas  a  nobleman,  who  derived  his  descent  from 
the  ancient  Kings  of  Sweden,  who  bore  the  name  of 
Eric  Vasa,  and  who  had  a  son,  Gustavus,  then  con- 
fined as  a  hostage  by  the  King.  Escaping  from  his 
prison,  the  youthful  Gustavus  betook  himself  to  the 
mountains  of  Dalecarlia,  and  lurked  there  for  a  time 
in  the  disguise  of  a  peasant.  A  single  attendant,  who 
acted  as  his  guide,  deserted  him,  and  carried  off  what 
little  property  he  possessed  ;  and  Gustavus,  in  the 
utmost  perplexity,  hired  himself  as  a  miner,  and  toiled 
underground  for  his  daily  bread.  Still  he  was  ani- 
mated by  a  restless  soul,  and  by  the  inspiriting  hope 
of  ere  long  ascending  the  throne  of  Sweden. 

At  length  the  time  for  action  seemed  to  have 
arrived  ;  and  Gustavus  attended  the  annual  feast  of 


410  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

the  mountaineers.  Suddenly  he  cast  off  his  disguise, 
declared  who  he  was,  and  invoked  their  aid  for  the 
recovery  of  their  country's  liberties.  Though  the  bar- 
barities which  the  soldiers  of  Christian  had  practiced 
against  the  Swedes  had  roused  their  blood,  the  Dale- 
carlians  were  at  first  irresolute  about  joining  Gus- 
tavus.  But  one  of  the  aged  men  remarked,  with  a 
look  of  wisdom,  that  the  wind  had  blown  directly  from 
the  north  as  soon  as  Gustavus  opened  his  mouth  to 
speak ;  and  deeming  that  circumstance  an  infallible 
sign  of  his  aspirations  being  favored  by  Heaven,  the 
Dalecarlians  consented  to  take  up  arms  under  the 
hero's  guidance.  Gradually  assembling  a  small  army, 
he  defeated  the  generals  of  Christian  ;  and  the  tyrant's 
cruelties  soon  stirring  the  Danes  and  Norwegians  to 
revolt,  the  despotic  King  was  solemnly  deposed,  and 
Gustavus  was  proclaimed  King  of  Sweden.  A  re- 
markable change  was  soon  perceptible  in  the  condition 
of  the  country.  Gustavus  and  the  National  Church 
adhered  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  which  Melancthon, 
the  mild  and  learned  disciple  of  the  fiery  Luther,  had 
drawn  up  at  the  Diet  of  Augsburg ;  and  Sweden 
speedily  exhibited  evidence  of  being  freed  from  Papal 
craft  and  control.  Arts  and  commerce  began  to 
flourish,  and  as  time  passed  on,  the  Swedish  monarchy 
assumed  a  high  and  formidable  position  among  the 
powers  of  Europe.  Gustavus,  after  swaying  the  scep- 
tre for  about  forty  years,  and  contributing  much  to  the 
happiness  and  prosperity  of  the  people  whom  he  had 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  411 

delivered,  was  succeeded,  in  1560,  by  his  son  Eric. 
But  the  latter,  who  aspired  to  the  hand  of  Q,uecn 
Elizabeth,  proving  a  cruel  and  unworthy  prince,  was 
dethroned  by  the  States  in  favor  of  his  brother  John  ; 
and  that  prince  made  an  unwise  eflbrt  to  restore  the 
Romish  religion  in  Sweden.  His  son  Sigismmid,  who 
had  previously  been  elected  King  of  Poland,  on  inher- 
iting the  Swedish  throne,  hkewise  pursued  the  scheme 
of  subjugating  Sweden  to  Rome  ;  whereupon  his  sub- 
jects, who  were  now  zealous  Lutherans,  not  only  de- 
chned  to  listen  to  any  such  proposal,  but  deposed  him 
in  1600,  and  placed  on  the  throne  his  uncle  Charles, 
a  son  of  Gustavus  Vasa. 

Charles  IX.  wielded  the  sceptre  during  liis  life ; 
and  dying  in  1611,  transmitted  it  to  his  son  Gusta\^s 
Adolphus,  celebrated  as  the  Lion  of  the  North,  and 
the  Bulwark  of  the  Protestant  faith.  The  young  hero 
had  scarcely  completed  his  eighteenth  year  when  he 
ascended  the  paternal  throne  ;  but  he  soon  made  his 
influence  felt  throughout  Europe.  His  kinsman,  Sig- 
ismund,  who  still  swayed  the  sceptre  of  Poland,  allect- 
ed  to  treat  him  as  a  usurper,  and  rejected  offers  of 
friendship  ;  but  Gustavus  overran  his  territories,  and 
having  proved  his  military  skill,  he  espoused  the  de- 
clining cause  of  the  hapless  King  of  Bohemia,  and  be- 
came chief  of  the  confederation  for  humbling  the  pride, 
and  reducing  the  power,  of  the  Catholic  House  of  Aus- 
tria. With  this  view,  Gustavus  began  to  take  in  the 
Thirty  Years'  War  that  conspicuous  part  which  has 


412  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

rendered  his  name  immortal,  and  bore  the  banner  of 
Protestantism  through  Germany.  Soldiers  of  fortune, 
especially  from  Scotland,  flocked  to  his  victorious  stand- 
ard. Alexander  Leslie — the  celebrated  Earl  of  Leven 
— after  fighthig  against  Spain  in  the  cause  of  the 
United  Provinces,  won  in  the  service  of  Gusta\'Tis  the 
rank  of  field-marshal,  and  that  militaiy  reputation 
which  rendered  him  so  formidable  to  the  forces  of  our 
first  Charles ;  while  David  Leslie  gained  such  expe- 
rience as  a  commander  of  cavaliy  which  enabled  him 
to  turn  the  tide  of  fight  on  Marston  Moor,  and  break 
the  ferocious  charge  of  Montrose's  Higliland  host  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ettrick. 

Supported  by  subsidies  from  France,  then  governed 
by  the  great  Richelieu,  Gustavus  speedily  produced  a 
change  in  the  aspect  of  European  aflairs.  At  Leipsic, 
in  1631,  he  encountered  the  famous  Tilly,  till  then 
deemed  invincible,  and  was  signally  victorious  over 
that  great  soldier ;  and  he  afterward  attacked  the 
defeated  general  at  the  passage  of  the  Leek,  where  the 
latter  lost  his  life. 

The  Emperor,  in  alarm  at  the  prosi)ect  of  his 
schemes  being  thwarted,  recalled  to  his  service  the 
illustrious  AVallenstein,  who  had  been  formerly  dis- 
graced, and  sent  him  against  the  redoubted  champion 
of  Protestantism.  A  simple  stone,  near  Lutzen,  still 
marks  the  place  where,  in  1G32,  the  tMo  heroes  met 
for  a  decisive  conflict.  The  Swedish  King  had  little 
fear  of  defeat.     Courageous  to  excess,  he  appeared  on 


QUEEN   CHRISTINA.  413 

the  day  of  battle  in  front  of  his  army,  bestriding  his 
strong  war-steed,  and  surpassing  in  stature  every  man 
in  his  army.  His  fortune  as  a  general  did  not  desert 
him  on  this  day  of  trial ;  and  he  was  again  victorious  ; 
but  in  the  hour  of  triumph  the  victor  perished  on 
the  field.  Wallenstein  was  prevented  from  following 
up  the  advantage  which  the  fall  of  such  an  adver- 
sary gave  him,  for  he  was  assassinated,  at  Egra,  by 
messengers  whom  the  Emperor  had  sent  to  arrest 
him. 

With  Gustavus  vanished  all  the  grand  schemes  he 
had  cherished  for  the  glory  of  his  country ;  and  the 
Swedish  throne  was  inherited  by  his  daughter,  Chris- 
tina, who  had  only  attained  her  sixth  year.  A  Coun- 
cil of  Regency  was  forthwith  appointed  ;  and  the  con- 
duct of  the  war  in  Germany  was  intrusted  to  the 
Chancellor  Oxenstiern,  a  man  skillful  alike  in  the 
cabinet  and  the  field.  After  sixteen  years  had  passed, 
the  long  war  was  terminated  by  the  Treaty  of  West- 
phalia ;  and  Sweden  acquired  Pomerania,  Stettin,  and 
other  provinces. 

Q,ueen  Christina  had  previously  arrived  at  legal 
age,  and  proved  a  most  eccentric  personage.  Pro- 
claiming herself  the  patroness  of  art  and  letters,  she 
attracted  to  her  conrt  several  men  of  eminence,  and 
expressed  so  intense  a  dislike  to  public  affairs,  that  the 
States  ventured  to  propose  that  she  should  espouse  her 
cousin,  Charles  Gustavus.  But  Christina,  though  by 
no  means  a  man-hater,  sternly  refused  to  accept  of  a 


414  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

husband  ;  and  much  discouleut  prevailing  on  account 
of  her  absorption  in,  hterary  and  philosophic  pursuits, 
she  abdicated  in  favor  of  Charles.  She  then  left  the 
Swedish  capital,  and  indulged  her  eccentricity  by 
traveling  through  Germany  in  male  attire.  At  In- 
spruck  she  renounced  the  Lutheran  doctrines,  em- 
braced the  Romish  faith,  and  betook  herself  to  Italy ; 
but  tiring  of  her  residence  there,  she  repaired  to  France, 
took  up  her  abode  in  Paris,  and  fi-eed  herself  from 
every  restraint.  At  length,  in  a  fit  of  jealousy,  the 
royal  virago  caused  her  Master  of  the  Horse  to  be  as- 
sassinated in  the  great  gallery  at  Fontainebleau,  and 
the  public  ixrdignation  excited  by  this  crime  drove  her 
to  Rome. 

While  Christina  vv'as  thus,  at  the  cost  of  her  rep- 
utation, roaming  over  Christendom,  her  successor, 
Charles  X.,  was  engaged  in  a  war  with  Denmark, 
and  being  cut  olf  by  a  fever  in  the  camp,  his  son, 
Charles  XL,  ascended  the  throne,  and  reigned  till  1G97, 
when  he  went  to  the  grave,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Charles  XIL,  one  of  the  most  singular  char- 
acters who  ever  played  a  part  on  the  stage  of  human 
affairs. 

The  youth  and  inexperience  of  Charles — for  he  had 
only  attained  his  fifteenth  year — tempted  the  Kings 
of  Denmark  and  Poland  to  form  against  him  a  con- 
federacy with  the  Czar  Peter.  The  Swedish  King 
thereupon,  with  juvenile  enthusiasm,  laying  siege  to 
Copenhagen,  soon  made  the  Danish  people  repent  oi 


CHARLES  THE  TWELFTH.  415 

their  sovereign's  temerity ;  and  then  turning  against 
the  Czar,  who  had  besieged  Narva,  he  advanced  to 
the  rehef  of  that  place,  defeated  the  Russians  with 
slaughter,  and  captured  all  their  baggage  and  artil- 
lery. After  this  triumphant  enterprise,  he  marched 
against  the  Poles,  took  "Warsaw  and  Cracow,  deposed 
King  Augustus,  and  placed  on  the  throne  of  Poland 
Stanislaus,  a  dependant  of  his  ov.n. 

After  these  brilliant  exploits,  all  Europe  courted 
the  alliance  of  the  conquering  hero  ;  and  the  Czar 
perceived  the  wisdom  of  making  peace  with  a  foe  so 
formidable.  But  abruptly  terminating  negotiations, 
Charles  declared  that  he  would  treat  only  at  Moscow, 
and  made  preparations  with  an  army  of  forty-five 
thousand  men  for  the  conquest  of  Russia.  At  this 
point  his  prescience  failed  him,  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  countless  disasters,  for,  baffled  in  his  design  of  march- 
ing directly  to  the  enemy's  capital,  the  Swede  was  al- 
lured, by  treacherous  promises  from  the  Cossacks,  to 
venture  through  the  Ukraine  in  the  depth  of  winter, 
and  thus  exposed  his  troops  to  the  utmost  misery. 
Yet  though  his  soldiers  were  perishing  from  fatigue, 
and  in  many  cases  almost  destitute  of  shoes  and 
clothes,  nothing  could  impede  the  progress  of  the  roy- 
al enthusiast.  His  military  ardor  bore  him  up  against 
all  hardships.  He  swam  rivers  at  the  head  of  his  cav- 
alr)',  executed  marvelous  marches,  and,  in  1709,  pen- 
etrated to  Pultowa.  There,  however,  he  was  encoun- 
tered by  the  Czar,  and  a  bloody  battle  taking  place, 


416  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

the  Russians  won  a  complete  victory.  Nine  thousand 
Swedes  were  slain  in  the  fight ;  fourteen  thousand 
more  were  taken  prisoners ;  and  Charles  himself, 
wounded  and  vanquished,  experienced  much  difficulty 
in  escaping,  with  the  wreck  of  his  army,  to  Bender, 
in  the  Turkish  dominions. 

Sweden  was,  in  the  mean  time,  exposed  to  the 
attacks  of  the  King's  enemies  ;  and  the  Regency, 
in  despair  at  his  absence,  resolving  to  consult  him 
no  longer  in  regard  to  public  affairs,  entreated  his 
sister,  the  Princess  Ulrica,  to  assume  the  reins  of 
government,  and  make  peace  with  Denmark  and 
Russia. 

Charles,  who  had  made  the  Turks  his  enemies, 
was  in  bed  at  Demotica,  and  a  nominal  captive,  when 
the  intelligence  of  this  transaction  was  brought  to 
him  ;  and  fierce  was  his  anger.  He  roused  himself  to 
energy,  and  wrote  to  the  Swedish  Senators,  that  if 
they  dared  to  assume  the  functions  of  government,  he 
would  send  one  of  his  boots  to  issue  orders  ;  and  hast- 
ily departed,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Porte,  for  Stral- 
sund,  which  about  eighty  years  earlier  had  been  tri- 
umphantly defended  by  Alexander  Leslie  against  Wal- 
lenstein  and  an  imperial  army  elate  with  recent  vic- 
tory. From  this  place,  in  1714,  Charles,  glowing  with 
a  martial  enthusiasm  which  precluded  prudence,  issued 
orders  to  his  generals  to  renew  the  war. 

The  deluded  King  himself,  with  a  body  of  twelve 
thousand    Swedes,    undertook   to    defend    Stralsund 


5IEGE   OF   FREDERICKSHALL.  417 

against  the  united  forces  of  Russia  and  Denmark,  and 
in  the  attempt  shrunk  not  from  the  most  perilous 
exploits.  The  brave  defenders  were  soon  reduced  to 
the  last  extremity,  and  half  the  town  was  reduced  to 
ashes;  but  Charles,  still  unmoved,  fought  with  despe- 
rate valor  among  his  soldiers.  But,  at  last,  when 
every  ray  of  hope  had  departed,  and  death  or  cap- 
tivity seemed  the  inevitable  consequence  of  remaining, 
he  consented,  with  a  sigh,  to  make  his  escape,  and 
embarked  in  a  small  vessel.  Favored  by  the  dark- 
ness of  night,  he  passed  the  Danish  fleet,  and,  at- 
tended by  two  officers,  made  his  way  in  disguise  to 
his  own  capital. 

At  this  date.  Cardinal  Alberoni,  prime  minister  of 
Spain,  while  cherishing  the  ambition  of  Elizabeth  Far- 
viese,  the  second  wife  of  the  fifth  Philip,  conceived  the 
•laring  project  of  reseating  the  exiled  Stuarts  on  the 
English  throne,  and  deeming  the  renowned  King  of 
Sweden  a  fitting  leader  for  such  an  enterprise,  con- 
certed measures  with  Gortz,  the  Swedish  minister. 
The  Czar  took  part  in  the  scheme,  and  agreed  to  a 
peace  with  Sweden,  but  an  unexpected  occurrence 
swept  the  vision  all  away. 

Charles,  whose  spirit  no  adversity  could  tame, 
resolved  upon  wresting  Norway  from  Denmark  ;  and, 
mustering  a  fresh  army,  sat  down,  in  the  winter  of 
1718,  to  reduce  the  town  of  Frederickshall.  No  at- 
tempt could  have  been  more  rash.  The  season  was 
intensely  rigorous  ;  the  frost  so  keen,  that  the  ground 
Dd 


418  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

was  as  hard  as  iron,  and  the  atmosphere  so  cold  that 
sentinels  frequently  sank  lifeless  under  its  effects. 
The  enthusiastic  King  shared  the  most  dxead  perils, 
and,  to  encourage  his  soldiers,  even  slept  in  the  open 
iiir  with  no  covering  save  his  cloak.  But,  on  the 
lught  of  the  11th  December,  while  viewing  the  opera- 
tions of  his  troops  by  starlight,  he  was  struck  in  the 
temple  by  a  ball,  and,  after  grasping  the  hilt  of  his 
sword,  expired  without  a  groan. 

The  States  of  the  realm,  exercising  their  ancient 
privilege,  elected  as  their  sovereign  the  Princess  Ulrica, 
sister  of  the  fallen  monarch ;  and  she  entered  into  a 
solermi  engagement  never  to  attempt  arbitrary  rule. 
The  (dueen  afterward  abdicated  in  favor  of  her  hus- 
band, Frederick,  Landgrave  of  Hesse-Cassel,  and, 
with  the  consent  of  the  States,  that  prince  ascended 
the  throne,  and  made  peace  with  all  the  hostile  powers. 
On  the  demise  of  Frederick,  without  heirs,  the  crown 
reverted  to  Adolphus,  duke  of  Holstein,  who  was 
descended,  in  the  female  line,  from  the  ancient  house 
of  Vasa.  Owmg  to  the  factions  of  the  senators,  and 
the  restraints  then  imposed  on  the  royal  authority,  the 
reign  of  Adolphus  was  one  long  scene  of  confusion. 
When  he  died,  in  1771,  the  sceptre  passed  to  his  son, 
Gustavus  III. 

Every  possible  precaution  was  used  to  bind  the 
new  king  to  the  established  laws.  At  the  ceremony 
of  coronation  he  took  an  oath,  which  an  extraordinary 
Diet  had  carefully  framed  for  his  acceptance,  and 


ESTABLISHMENT   OF  ABSOLUTISM.         419 

swore  to  rule  with  equity  and  moderation.  But,  pos- 
sessing high  talents,  an  engaging  address,  and  a  grace- 
ful elocution,  Gustavus  contrived  artfully  to  elude  tha 
obligations  and  to  render  himself  popular.  He  treated 
the  humblest  of  his  subjects  with  affability,  mani- 
fested much  interest  in  their  welfare,  and  gave  audi- 
ence to  all  who  presented  themselves.  "When  his 
schemes  were  fully  ripe,  he  caused  the  members  of 
the  Senate  to  be  arrested,  and  an  assembly  of  the 
States  to  be  convened. 

On  the  21th  of  August,  1772,  the  hall  in  which 
they  assembled  was  suddenly  surrounded  with  troops  ; 
and  at  the  entrance  was  planted  cannon.  The  soldiers 
stood  over  the  loaded  guns  with  lighted  matches ; 
Gustavus,  escorted  by  his  officers  and  guards,  seated 
himself  on  the  throne,  and  presented  to  the  States  a 
new  constitution,  which — resistance  being  out  of  the 
question — was  unhesitatingly  accepted.  Gustavus 
thus  became  an  absolute  monarch  ;  but  the  remainder 
of  his  life  was  spent  in  jealous  vigilance ;  and,  at 
length,  one  of  the  Swedish  nobles  undertook  to  free 
his  compeers  from  their  tyrant.  At  a  public  mas- 
querade, in  March,  1792,  the  King  was  shot  with  a 
pistol,  and,  after  lingering  m  great  pain  for  a  fortnight, 
expired  in  his  forty-sixth  year. 

His  son,  Gustavus  IV.,  then  ascended  the  throne, 
the  Duke  of  Sudermania,  uncle  of  the  youthful  mon- 
arch, enacting  the  part  of  regent.  The  young  King 
entered  with  characteristic  ardor  into  the  confederacy 


*J0  HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

formed  by  the  Northern  powers  against  England, 
•which  was  dissolved  by  Lord  Nelson's  victory  at 
Copenhagen  ;  but,  in  lbU4,  he  changed  his  pohcy,  de- 
clared against  Bonaparte,  withdrew  his  embassador 
from  France,  and  prohibited  all  intercourse  with  that 
country.  Soon  after,  Sweden  being  involved  in  a  war 
with  Russia,  suffered  the  loss  of  Finland ;  and  the  oper- 
ations of  Gustavus  excited  so  much  discontent,  that 
he  was  expelled  from  his  ancestral  throne  in  1809, 
and  replaced  by  his  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Suderma- 
nia,  with  the  title  of  Charles  XIII.  The  new  King, 
after  a  struggle,  opened  negotiations  with  France, 
and  adopted  the  "  Continental  System"  for  the  ex- 
clusion of  British  commerce  from  the  ports  of  the 
Baltic. 

The  sudden  death  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Sweden, 
in  the  year  1810,  while  he  was  reviewing  some  reg- 
iments of  cavalry,  opened  up  a  new  scene,  and  the 
suspicion  that  he  had  been  poisoned  having  been  al- 
layed by  a  judicial  inquiry,  public  attention  was 
turned  to  the  election  of  a  successor.  For  that  cere- 
mony the  States  of  Sweden  assembled  at  Orebro,  and 
several  royal  candidates  appeared.  But  the  honor  fell 
to  Marshal  Bernadotte  ;  and  that  French  general,  a 
native  of  Gascony,  who  had  entered  the  ranks  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  became  heir  to  the  Swedish  crown  and 
virtual  ruler  of  the  country.  Bonaparte,  who  consid- 
ered the  advancement  of  the  man  who  had  carried 
the  collar  of  the  Emperor  at  the  memorable  corona- 


ELECTION   OF  BERNADOTTE.  421 

tion  of  1804,  as  an  event  likely  to  minister  to  his  own 
aggrandizement,  and  complete  the  subjugation  of  the 
North  to  his  system,  permitted  his  Marshal  to  accept 
the  prospective  sovereignty.  But  Bernadotte  preferred 
the  interests  of  the  Swedish  people  to  those  of  his  for- 
mer master ;  and  within  a  few  months  Sweden  was 
menaced  by  the  French  Emperor.  After  a  delay  cf 
two  years,  the  court  of  Stockholm  concluded  an  alli- 
ance with  England;  and,  in  1813,  when  the  Allies 
undertook  against  France  what  was  termed  a  "  cam- 
paign of  the  liberties  of  Europe,"  Bernadotte,  while 
commanding  their  army  in  the  north  of  Germany,  ren- 
dered such  active  and  vigorous  aid,  that  he  was  re- 
warded with  the  sovereignty  of  Norway,  wrested  from 
Denmark  by  the  Treaty  of  Kiel.  But  the  Norwegians, 
not  relishmg  this  territorial  arrangement,  invited  the 
King  of  Denmark  to  assume  the  regal  authority,  and 
made  a  struggle  for  independence.  Their  eflbrts 
proved  unavailing ;  and,  on  the  death  of  the  old 
King,  Bernadotte,  with  the  title  of  Charles  John 
XIV.,  governed  the  united  kingdoms.  His  reign  was 
beneficial  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  country ; 
many  public  works  of  importance  were  undertaken 
and  completed ;  agriculture  was  developed ;  com- 
merce and  manufactures  were  fostered ;  and  the  na- 
tional finances  were  restored  to  order.  A  leaning-  to- 
ward Russia,  the  very  name  of  which  was  odious  to 
his  subjects,  rendered  the  distinguished  soldier  less  pop- 
ular than  from  his  services  to  the  state  he  would  other- 


422  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— SWEDEN. 

wise  have  been.  He  expired  in  1844,  and  his  son, 
Oscar,  the  present  sovereign,  ascending  the  throne  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus  and  the  twelfth  Charles,  com- 
menced, with  popular  measures,  his  reign  over  a 
brave,  robust,  and  industrious  people. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HISTORY    OF    TURKEY    AND    GREECE, 

In  the  month  of  April,  1453,  Mohammed  the  Great, 
Sultan  of  the  Turks — a  race  of  Scythians,  who  had 
gradually  extended  their  conquests  from  the  shores  of 
the  Caspian  to  the  Straits  of  the  Dardanelles — at- 
tacked Constantinople,  the  capital  of  the  empire  of 
the  East,  with  three  hundred  thousand  men,  and 
three  hundred  and  twenty  vessels.  The  inhabitants, 
though  too  indolent  in  making  preparations  for  the 
struggle,  volunteered  to  the  number  of  four  thousand 
for  the  defense  of  their  city,  fought  with  courage,  and 
repaired  the  breaches  with  alacrity.  Besides,  they 
poured  on  the  besiegers  burning  naphtha  and  boiling 
oil — "  the  Greek  fire" — and  burned  the  wooden  towers 
of  the  Turks  as  soon  as  they  were  advanced  to  the 
walls.  Their  hearts  were  ere  long  gladdened  by  the 
arrival  of  several  ships  laden  with  provisions,  which, 
in  defiance  of  the  Turkish  fleet,  entered  the  harbor 
in  safety.  Mohammed,  however,  caused  eighty  of  his 
galleys  to  be  carried  over  the  ground  behind  the  city, 
and  placed  opposite  the  weakest  part  of  the  ramparts, 
and  then  pressed  the  beleaguered  capital  on  all  sides. 


424       HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— TURKEY,   ETC. 

About  the  end  of  May  the  -walls  were  battered  down 
with  cannon ;  and  the  besiegers,  entering  sword  in 
hand,  slaughtered  all  who  opposed  them.  The  Em- 
peror Constantine,  after  a  heroic  struggle,  was  slain 
in  one  of  the  breaches ;  the  Empire  of  the  East, 
which  had  endured  for  more  than  eleven  centuries, 
was  extinguished ;  the  churches  were  converted  into 
mosques ;  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  were  sold  or 
exchanged  as  captives  in  the  Turkish  provinces.  The 
victors  now  established  their  seat  of  government  in 
the  Imperial  city,  introduced  into  Europe  that  des- 
potic system  wliich  prevailed  in  Asia,  and  vested  the 
supreme  power  in  Sultans  of  the  Ottoman  race,  whose 
blood  was  considered  sacred.  The  capture  of  Con- 
stantinople Avas  followed  by  the  conquest  of  Greece 
and  Epirus ;  and,  as  their  territories  extended,  the 
Sultans,  finding  it  necessary  to  render  their  military 
force  formidable,  and  possess  a  body  of  troops  devoted 
to  their  will,  seized  annually  a  fifth  part  of  the  youths 
taken  in  war.  These  soldiers  being  instructed  in  the 
Mohammedan  faith,  inured  to  passive  obedience,  and 
trained  to  martial  exercises,  were  distingvushed  by  the 
name  of  Janizaries.  From  attending  on  the  person 
of  the  Sultan,  and  being  regarded  as  the  strength  of 
the  army,  the  Janizaries  became  conscious  of  their 
own  importance ;  and  at  length,  growing  turbulent 
and  mutinous,  they  believed  themselves  entitled  to  de- 
grade or  elevate  Sultans  at  their  pleasure. 

Mohammed  the  Great  was  succeeded  by  a  number 


SOLYMAN   THE   MAGNIFICENT.  425 

of  Ottoman  princes;  and,  in  1520,  the  throne  was 
ascended  by  Solyman  the  Magnificent,  celebrated  in 
Turkish  annals  as  a  great  lawgiver  and  a  famous 
warrior.  The  island  of  Rhodes  was  the  darhng  ob- 
ject of  his  martial  ambition  ;  and  he  attacked  it  with 
a  mighty  force.  The  Knights  of  St.  John,  who  in 
ancient  days  had  taken  the  place  from  the  Saracens, 
made  a  gallant  defense,  and  were  aided  by  the  Eu- 
ropean powers ;  but,  after  a  severe  siege,  lliey  were 
compelled  to  capitulate  and  abandon  the  island. 

Solyman,  after  various  conquests  in  Europe,  died 
in  1565  ;  and  his  son,  Selim  II.,  concluding  a  peace 
with  the  German  Emperor,  attempted  to  subdue  the 
kingdom  of  Persia ;  but  failing  in  his  efforts,  he  at- 
tacked the  island  of  Cyprus,  which  was  then  subject 
to  the  Republic  of  Venice.  On  this  enterprise  being 
rumored,  the  Venetians  formed  a  league  with  the  Pope 
and  the  second  Philip  of  Spain  for  defense  of  the  place  ; 
but  ere  relief  could  be  sent,  the  capital  had  been  taken 
by  storm,  and  all  the  towns  captured.  Masters  of  Cy- 
prus, the  Turks  unchecked  ravaged  the  coasts,  till  their 
fleet  was  encountered  at  Lepanto  by  that  of  the  con- 
federates, under  Don  John  of  Austria,  natural  brother 
of  the  Spanish  king.  The  conflict  was  bloody  and 
protracted,  and  it  was  desperately  maintained  hand 
to  hand.  The  Turkish  admiral,  surrounded  by  hund- 
reds of  Janizaries,  maintained  for  hours  a  fierce  strug- 
gle with  the  Austrian  Don.  Amidst  the  din  of  bat- 
tle the  Admiral  fell ;  and  his  galley  being  taken,  the 


426       HISTORY   FOR  BOYS.— TURKEY,  ETC 

Turkish  standard  was  torn  down  from  the  stem,  and 
his  head  set  up  in  its  stead.  The  Turks  then  gave 
way,  and  the  news  of  this  victorj'  was  hailed  at  Rome 
with  rapturous  dehght ;  but  the  confederates  disagreed 
among  themselves,  and  the  Venetians  allowed  Selim 
to  retain  Cyprus.  Don  John  then  seized  upon  Tunis, 
which  he  was  ambitious  of  erecting  into  a  sovereignty 
for  himself;  but  a  Turkish  fleet  speedily  appeared  be- 
fore the  place,  which  was  stormed,  and  taken  at  the 
point  of  the  sword. 

Amurath  III.  succeeded  his  father  in  1574,  and 
after  adding  part  of  Hungary  to  his  dominions,  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Mohammed  III.,  who  secured 
the  throne  by  causing  nineteen  of  his  brothers  to  be 
strangled,  and  twelve  of  his  father's  wives  to  be  thrown 
into  the  sea.  After  supporting  the  dignity  of  the  em- 
pire till  1605,  he  left  behind  him  two  sons — Achmet, 
who  only  reigned  for  a  brief  period ;  and  Mustapha, 
who  during  his  brother's  life  was  the  inmate  of  a  pris- 
on. After  occupying  the  throne  for  a  few  months,  he 
was  again  immured  to  make  way  for  his  nephew,  Os- 
man ;  and  the  latter,  being  defeated  during  an  inva- 
sion of  Poland,  was  slain  by  the  Janizaries. 

Amurath  the  Intrepid,  son  of  Mustapha,  soon  after 
mounted  the  throne,  but  after  vanquishing  the  Per- 
sians, and  taking  Bagdad,  he  killed  himself  with  a 
debauch.  His  son,  Ibrahim,  proving  a  weak  prince, 
was  strangled  by  four  mutes ;  and  Mohammed  IV., 
ascending  the  throne  in  1648,  rendered  his  power  for- 


FOREIGN    WARS.  427 

midable  to  Christendom,  maintained  a  successful  war 
with  Germany,  and  undertook  the  memorable  siege 
of  Vienna.  His  immediate  successors  played  no  con- 
spicuous part  in  European  afiairs  ;  but,  in  1694,  Mus- 
tapha  II.  ascended  the  throne,  and  quickly  proved 
himself  a  daring  warrior.  After  several  campaigns, 
he  was  met  at  Zenta,  in  Hungary,  by  Prince  Eugene, 
and  totally  defeated.  Thirty  thousand  Turks  are  said 
to  have  perished  on  the  occasion  ;  the  pavilion  of  the 
Sultan  and  the  seal  of  the  Turkish  empire  were  lost ; 
and  Mustapha,  having  after  an  ineffectual  struggle 
agreed  to  a  peace,  was  deposed  in  favor  of  his  broth- 
er, Achmet  III.  That  prince,  after  wresting  the  Mo- 
rea  from  the  Venetians,  commenced  warlike  operations 
in  Hungary  ;  but  there  his  Grand  Vizier  was  routed 
by  the  illustrious  Eugene,  and  in  1718,  compelled  to 
conclude  the  peace  of  Passarowitz.  This  was  a  sad 
blow  to  the  Sultan's  declining  power ;  and,  being 
afterwar(J  unsuccessful  in  a  war  with  the  Persians, 
he  was  thrust  from  the  throne,  and  replaced  by  Mo- 
hammed V. 

In  1757,  Mustapha,  the  brother  of  Mohammed, 
was  elevated  to  the  rank  of  Sultan,  and  was  speedily 
involved  in  a  war  with  Russia.  The  Russians,  under 
Prince  Galitzen,  were  successful  in  their  operations  ; 
and  having  overrun  Moldavia,  prevailed  upon  the 
Greek  inhabitants  to  acknowledge  the  Czarina  as 
their  sovereign.  In  1770,  the  hostile  armies  met  for 
a  final  struggle  ;  the  Russians  were  again  victorious  ; 


428        HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— TURKEY,   ETC. 

thousands  of  Turks  lost  their  hves,  and  their  ammu- 
nition and  provisions  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Meantime,  a  fierce  naval  fight  took  place  in  the  chan- 
nel of  Scio.  The  adverse  commanders  having  locked 
their  ships  together  with  grappling  irons,  fought  with 
unmitigated  fury  till  the  Russians,  setting  both  vessels 
on  fire,  produced  a  terrific  explosion  and  destroyed  the 
crews.  After  a  pause  the  contest  was  renewed  by  the 
remaining  vessels,  and  the  impassioned  struggle  con- 
tinued till  nightfall,  when  the  Turks  cut  their  cables, 
and  made  for  a  bay  on  the  coast  of  NatoUa ;  but 
some  Russian  fire-ships  having  been  artfully  conveyed 
among  the  fleet,  totally  consumed  the  Turkish  vessels. 
The  Russians  then  bombarded  the  town,  which  was 
soon  reduced  to  ashes  by  the  explosion  of  a  powder- 
magazine  in  the  castle. 

Mustapha  expired  soon  after  these  disasters ;  and 
a  peace,  favorable  to  the  interests  of  Russia,  was  con- 
cluded by  his  brother,  Achmet  IV.,  who  died  while 
preparing  an  expedition  against  Germany  and  Russia. 
His  nephew,  Selim  III.,  succeeded,  and  entered  upon 
a  war  with  the  latter  power,  which  proved  most  un- 
fortunate. During  its  continuance,  the  Turks  lost  an 
important  fortress,  a  large  extent  of  territory,  and 
about  two  hundred  thousand  men  ;  and  they  were  in 
the  utmost  danger  of  experiencing  disasters  still  more 
fatal,  when  England  and  Prussia  interfered  for  their 
protection. 

In  1801,  after  the  surrender  of  Alexandria  by  the 


THE   GREEK   INSURRECTION.  429 

French,  and  the  consequent  evacuation  of  Egypt,  a 
peace  was  concluded  between  Turkey  and  France ; 
and  in  1806,  war  was  declared  between  the  Porte 
and  Russia.  The  Turks  were  then  exhorted  to  repair 
to  the  standard  of  Mohammed,  and  manifest  their  an- 
cient courage.  Nevertheless,  the  Russians  were  tri- 
umphant by  sea  and  land ;  and  Turkish  affairs  were 
rendered  still  more  gloomy  by  a  domestic  revolution. 
The  Sultan,  bent  on  introducing  European  tactics  into 
his  army,  gave  mortal  offense  to  the  Janizaries,  who 
contemptuously  rejected  the  proposed  innovations. 
Selim,  to  punish  their  disobedience,  signified  that  the 
duty  of  escorting  him  to  the  mosque  should  in  future 
be  performed  by  troops  trained  on  the  modern  system. 
This  was  more  than  these  privileged  soldiers  could 
brook ;  and  resolving  upon  a  display  of  their  power, 
they  conducted  him,  with  contumely,  to  the  ancient 
seraglio — the  residence  of  deposed  potentates.  They 
then  led  forth  his  cousin  Mustapha,  a  spirited  youth 
of  twenty-eight,  and,  with  loud  acclamations,  pro- 
claimed him  Sultan. 

Several  years  went  by ;  and  after  Europe  had  re- 
covered from  convulsions,  men  of  poetic  temperament 
"  dreamed  that  Greece  might  yet  be  free."  Tiie 
Greeks,  determined  upon  asserting  their  liberties,  rose 
against  their  Turkish  rulers,  and  commenced  the  War 
of  Independence.  At  first  they  were  victorious  in  sev- 
eral battles,  made  themselves  masters  of  the  country 
south  of  Thessaly,  and  seemed  to  have  thrown  off  the 


430        HISTORY   FOR   BOYS— TURKEY,  ETC. 

yoke  of  centuries.  But  in  1825,  Mehemet  Ali,  the 
Pasha  of  Egr)pt,  sent  his  son  Ibrahim  -with  an  army, 
and  landing  in  the  Morea,  the  latter  took  several 
towns,  and  defeated  the  insurgents  in  the  field.  The 
Turks  rapidly  recovered  their  lost  ground,  and  the 
cause  of  the  Greeks  appeared  hopeless.  The  arrival 
of  Lord  Cochrane  to  take  the  command  did  not  avail ; 
for,  having  sailed  to  the  relief  of  Athens,  the  noble  ad- 
miral witnessed  the  defeat  and  dispersion  of  the  Greelis, 
and  had  to  swim  to  his  ship. 

The  Turks  now  had  everj'  thing  in  their  hands  ; 
but  E.us.sia,  in  extreme  anxiety  to  weaken  her  former 
foe,  took  part  with  the  Greeks,  who  had,  besides,  the 
sympathies  of  England  and  France  ;  and  these  powers 
finding  their  threats  disregarded,  took  strong  measures 
to  terminate  the  sangiiinary  contest. 

The  Turks  girded  themselves  up  for  the  impending 
struggle,  and  were  reinforced  by  the  Egyptian  fleet  in 
the  harbor  of  Navarino  ;  and  on  the  20th  cf  October, 
1827,  the  English,  French,  and  Russian  fleets,  under 
Admiral  Codrlngton,  cfTocted  an  entrance.  There 
was  a  sharp  struggle  of  four  hours'  duration ;  and 
when  it  was  over,  the  wrecks  of  the  united  fleets  of 
Turkey  and  Egj'pt  strewed  the  waters.  The  disabled 
vessels,  after  being  set  on  fire  by  their  crews,  were 
abandoned.  ' 

Matters  did  not  rest  here  ;  for  a  fresh  war  breaking 
out  between  Turkey  and  Russia,  Adrianople  was  taken 
by  the  Russians  without  their  firing  a  shot ;  and  Con- 


THE  GREEK  MONARCHY.  431 

stantinople  was  in  the  utmost  danger  when  the  peace 
of  Adrianople  was  agreed  to. 

These  humihations,  however  mortifying  to  the  pride 
of  a  nation  whose  mihtary  power  had  once  been  more 
formidable  than  that  of  any  European  monarchy,  were 
not  to  be  avoided  ;  and  the  independence  of  Greece 
was  acknowledged  by  Turkey  in  September,  1829, 
A  constitutional  monarchy  was  then  instituted  in  the 
liberated  country  ;  and  in  1832,  Prince  Otho  of  Bava^ 
ria  being  called  to  the  throne,  assumed  his  present  po. 
sition  as  King:  of  Greece. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

HISTORY    OF    RUSSIA. 

While  England,  under  the  first  of  her  Scottish 
kings,  was  falling  I'rom  the  high  estate  she  had  occu- 
pied under  her  native  princes ;  while  in  France  the 
genius  of  Richelieu  was  making  itself  felt ;  while  the 
glory  was  departing  from  the  Spanish  monarchy ; 
while  the  Thirty  Years'  "War  was  beginning  to  deso- 
late Germany  ;  while  the  illustrious  career  of  Gusta- 
vus  Adolphus  was  opening  upon  Sweden ;  and  while 
the  warriors  of  Turkey  were  yet  terrible  to  the  nations 
of  Europe,  Michael  Theodoriwitz,  earliest  of  the  dy- 
nasty of  Romanoff,  became  Czar  of  Muscovy.  His 
dominions  Mere  uncultivated,  his  subjects  barbarous, 
and  the  country  was  in  the  utmost  disorder ;  for  on 
the  extinction  of  the  male  line  of  the  former  Czars — 
the  posterity  of  John  Basilowitz,  who  had  redeemed 
Russia  from  the  Tartars — no  fewer  than  five  pretend- 
ers had  aspired  to  the  vacant  throne,  and  involved  the 
realm  in  civil  war.  But  Michael,  proving  worthy  of 
his  elevation,  reigned  for  more  than  thirty  years,  main- 
tained his  position  with  dignity,  and  bequeathed  the 
crown  to  his  heir. 


RISB   OF  THE   ROMANOFFS.  433 

Alexis,  the  son  of  Michael,  succeeded  in  1645,  and 
applied  himself  with  vigor  to  the  harsh  duties  of  re- 
form. The  necessity  was  indeed  pressing  ;  for  Mus- 
covy was  still  little  better  than  a  ferocious  anarchy ; 
and  the  capital  was  kept  in  perpetual  consternation 
by  the  capricious  violence  of  the  Strelitzes — a  militia 
formed  in  imitation  of  the  celebrated  Turkish  Janiza- 
ries. But  the  new  Czar  proved  himself  an  able  ruler, 
and  did  much  to  create  order.  He  published  a  code 
of  laws,  purified  the  courts  of  justice,  restrained  the 
power  of  the  boyards  over  their  serfs,  and  aflbrded 
much  encouragement  to  agriculture  and  manufac- 
tures. 

Toward  the  close  of  his  reign  Alexis  was  deprived 
by  death  of  his  first  wife  ;  and  though  he  had  a  fam- 
ily of  sons  and  daughters,  the  Czar  determined  upon 
a  second  matrimonial  speculation.  According  to  the 
fashion  then  pursued  by  the  rulers  of  Russia,  Alexis 
issued  a  proclamation  inviting  all  the  most  beautiful 
damsels  in  his  dominions,  irrespective  of  their  social 
condition,  to  repair  to  Moscow  that  he  might  select 
a,  fitting  bride.  Among  the  rest  came  a  lady  named 
Natalie.  She,  having  attracted  the  eye  of  Alexis, 
was  forthwith  exalted  to  the  dignity  of  Czarina  ;  and, 
in  due  time,  she  became  the  mother  of  a  prince  who 
afterward  rendered  himself  famous  as  Peter  the  Great. 

When  Alexis  expired  in  1G76,  he  left,  besides  Peter, 
then  a  mere  child,  two  sons,  Theodore  and  Ivan,  and 
a  daughter,  Sophia,  who  ore  long  played  a  conspicu' 
Ee 


434  HISTORY  FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

ous  part  in  Russian  afiairs.  Theodore,  a  sickly  youth, 
inherited  his  father  s  crown,  bnt  did  not  survive  to 
■wear  it  for  more  than  a  few  years.  On  his  death-bed 
he  summoned  the  boyards  to  his  presence,  and  recom- 
mended them  to  set  aside  Ivan  on  account  of  his  bod- 
ily infirmities,  and  intrust  the  sceptre  to  the  youthfid 
Peter.  To  this  scheme  Sophia,  who  united  much  per- 
sonal beauty  with  a  strong  will  and  a  vaulting  ambi- 
tion, was  vehemently  opposed  ;  and  her  snules  so  com- 
pletely won  over  the  Captain  oi  Strelitzes,  and  fasci- 
nated the  populace,  that  the  incapable  Ivan  was  seat- 
ed on  the  throne,  while  she  asumed  the  functions  of 
government.  The  widowed  Czarina  and  her  son,  aft- 
er being  besi^ed  in  their  palace,  fled  from  the  city, 
and  aou^it  an  asylum  in  the  Convent  of  Trinity  ;  but 
ihej  had  scarcely  taken  refuge  within  its  waUs,  when 
the  aoldieis  of  Sophia  were  heard  clamoring  at  the 
outer  gate.  At  this  crisis  a  lucky  thought  crossed  the 
agitated  brain  of  the  trembling  Czarina.  She  placed 
her  son  on  the  high  altar ;  and  when  the  soldiers  ef- 
fected an  entrance,  the  Superior  of  the  Convent,  point- 
ins  to  the  boy,  exclaimed,  "  Behold  him  I  there  he  is 
with  God."  The  soldiers  were  touched  with  awe,  till 
erne  of  them,  less  scrupulous  than  his  fellows,  after  a 
pause  stepped  forward,  and  brandidded  his  weapon  to 
strike  the  child.  But  a  monk,  arresting  his  arm, 
thrust  him  back,  saying  with  calm  solemnity,  "  Not 
in  this  ^cred  place."  At  that  moment  the  tread  of 
cavalry  was  again  heard,  and  the  Superior  having  ex- 


PETER   THE   GREAT.  435 

claimed,  "  Here  come  oar  fiiends  at  last ;  let  the  ene- 
mies of  God  and  the  Czar  tremble,"  the  edifice  was 
speedily  cleared  of  intruders,  and  the  royal  boys  life 
providentially  saved. 

The  son  of  Xatalie  had  other  perils  to  enconntel 
on  the  threshold  of  life.  At  an  obscure  village,  sitU' 
ated  at  a  distance  fix)m  Moscow,  he  was  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  most  profligate  youths  to  corrupt  his 
morals  and  debase  his  mind.  But,  instead  of  falling 
into  the  snare,  Peter  persuaded  his  comrades  to  have 
recouise  to  maoly  sports  and  martial  exercises ;  he 
formed  them  into  a  small  military  force  :  and  in  this 
juvenile  regiment,  taking  rank  only  as  a  private,  he 
wrought  his  way  gradually  to  command. 

About  this  time  Le  Fort  and  Gordon,  two  adven- 
turers of  mark  and  likelihood,  appeared  in  Russia. 
Le  Fort  was  a  native  of  Geneva,  and  had  been  orig- 
mally  destined  for  commercial  pursuits  ;  but  with  a 
soul  above  such  matters,  he  had  followed  the  bent  of 
his  inclination,  and  betaken  himself  to  a  military  ca- 
reer. Gordon  was  of  a  difierent  stamp,  being  the  cadet 
of  a  Cavaher  family  in  Scotland,  who  had  in  youth 
left  his  native  soil  to  win  fame  and  fortune,  and  who 
had  served  with  the  Swedes  and  Poles.  Peter  now 
attached  these  disringuiahed  soldiers  of  fortune  to  his 
cause  ;  and  they  rendered  him  most  valuable  aid  in  his 
schemes  for  the  creation  of  that  power  which  is  now 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  pernicious  elements  in 
European  society. 


436  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

When  Peter  had  attained  his  seventeenth  year  he 
took  to  himself  a  wife  ;  and  this  step  so  alarmed  the 
aspiring  Sophia,  that  in  her  haste  she  assumed  the 
title  of  Empress,  and  dispatched  a  force  to  arrest  the 
bridegroom.  But  her  indications  of  enmity  created 
such  a  ferment  among  the  young  hero's  friends,  that, 
in  1689,  they  compelled  the  haughty  princess  to 
abandon  the  struggle  and  retire  to  a  convent,  while 
Peter  was  installed  as  Czar. 

Ambitious  of  learning  the  art  of  governing  his 
people  and  of  ameliorating  their  condition,  Peter,  in  the 
company  of  Le  Fort,  who  figured  as  embassador,  left 
his  dominions  to  acquire  information  in  foreign  lands. 
After  visiting  Berlin,  he  repaired  to  Holland,  studied 
commerce  at  Amsterdam,  and  wrought  as  an  ordinary 
shipwright  in  the  docks  of  Saardam.  He  then  passed 
over  to  England  to  complete  his  knowledge  ;  and  car- 
ried with  him  from  Deptford,  which  he  visited  as  a 
simple  mechanic,  sailors  and  artificers,  whom  he  after- 
ward promoted  to  places  of  honor  and  command  in 
Russia. 

On  returning  home  it  became  the  chief  object  of 
the  Czar  Peter  to  teach  his  barbarous  subjects  the  art 
of  civilized  war,  and  to  form  a  regularly  disciplined 
army.  And  in  Charles  XH.  of  Sweden  he  found  an 
antagonist  whose  courage  and  enthusiasm  called  forth 
all  his  genius.  In  their  first  conflicts  the  Swedish 
monarch  was  triumphant,  but  Peter  did  not  therefore 
blanch.      "  I  knew,"  said  he,  after  being  defeated  at 


WAR   WITH   SWEDEN.  437 

Narva,  "  that  the  Swedes  would  beat  us  ;  but  in  time 
they  will  teach  us  to  become  their  conquerors."  He 
soon  after  recovered  Narva  by  a  skillful  assault,  and 
then  applied  his  energies  to  the  building  of  that  re- 
markable town  so  intimately  associated  with  his  cele- 
brity as  a  ruler. 

The  Czar,  in  realizing  his  project,  made  choice  of 
a  singular  site.  Between  Finland  and  Ingria  was  a 
marshy  island,  which  during  summer  was  a  heap  of 
mud  and  in  winter  a  frozen  pool.  Growling  bears 
and  howling  wolves  had  hitherto  haunted  the  spot ; 
but,  resolute  in  his  purpose,  the  Czar,  bringing  men 
from  all  parts  of  his  realm,  cleared  forests,  formed 
roads,  erected  mounds,  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
St.  Petersburg.  Though  inundations  demolished  the 
works,  and  fever  carried  off  the  workmen,  the  Czar 
persevered  in  the  undertakuig ;  and  in  1714  he  re- 
moved the  council  thither  from  Moscow,  the  ancient 
capital. 

A  few  years  passed  over ;  and  Peter,  assuming  the 
title  of  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias,  was  formally  ac- 
knowledged as  such  by  the  various  powers  of  Europe. 
He  established  order  throughout  his  dominions,  pro- 
vided education  for  youth,  and  adopted  many  useful 
reforms.  But  his  temper  was  still  so  despotic,  and 
his  nature  so  fierce,  that  when  Alexis,  his  son  and 
heir,  offended  him  by  a  dissolute  life,  and  by  opposing 
his  schemes  of  civilization,  the  Czar  ordered  that  he 
should  suffer  death.     Peter  himself  expired  in  1725, 


438  HISTORY  FOR  BOYS.-RUSSIA. 

and  was  succeeded  on  the  throne  by  his  second  spouse 
the  Czarina. 

Catherine,  originally  a  Livonian  captive,  exercised 
the  functions  of  government  with  credit  for  the  next 
three  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Peter  II.,  a  son  of 
the  murdered  Alexis.  This  Czar  only  reigned  for  a 
brief  period  ;  and  the  male  line  of  the  Romanoils 
thus  becoming  extinct,  the  Russians  elevated  to  the 
vacant  throne  Anne,  duchess  of  Courland,  the  second 
daughter  of  the  Czar  Peter's  brother.  The  reign  of 
Anne  was  happy  and  prosperous  ;  but  on  her  decease 
there  took  place  a  struggle  for  the  succession,  which 
terminated  in  the  proclamation  of  Elizabeth,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  the  Great,  and  m  the  imprisonment  of  her 
rivals.  Her  reign  was  particularly  fortunate.  A  war 
with  Sweden  was  brought  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion, 
and  the  Czarina's  fleets  and  armies  were  every  where 
victorious.  Russia,  under  the  auspices  of  Elizabeth, 
took  an  important  part  in  the  Seven  Years'  War,  and 
the  position  of  Frederick  the  Great  had  gradually  be- 
come one  of  extreme  peril,  when  the  Empress  died  in 
1762,  and  the  throne  was  inherited  by  her  nephew 
Peter  III. 

Peter,  who  was  animated  by  an  enthusiastic  admi- 
ration of  the  Prussian  King's  talent  and  courage,  im- 
mediately consented  to  a  peace,  and  the  new  reign 
commenced  auspiciously.  The  nobles  and  gentry 
were  freed  from  vassalage,  and  placed  on  an  equality 
with  those  in  other  countries  ;  and  the  laborers  were. 


CATHERINE  THE   SECOND.  439 

to  some  extent,  relieved  from  the  burden  of  taxation. 
But  being  a  Lutheran,  Peter  shocked  the  clergy  by  his 
contempt  for  the  Greek  Church,  while  he  ofl'ended 
the  army  by  his  partiality  for  the  Holstein  Guards, 
and  thus  raised  up  a  host  of  foes.  The  unfortunate 
Emperor  had  made  another  enemy,  still  more  uncom- 
promising. Before  coming  to  the  throne  he  had  es- 
poused Catherine,  a  princess  of  Anhalt  Zerbst,  a  wo- 
man of  great  ability  and  boundless  ambition.  Their 
tastes,  habits,  and  dispositions,  were,  however,  utterly 
dissimilar  ;  and  fierce  quarrels  arising  between  them, 
Peter  became  so  deeply  enamored  of  the  Countess  of 
Woronzoff,  that  ere  long  a  rumor  crept  about  of  his 
intention  to  shut  up  the  Empress  in  prison  and  raise 
the  Countess  to  share  his  throne.  The  rumor  cost 
him  dear  ;  for  while  he  was  seeking  consolation  in  the 
society  of  the  lady  of  his  heart,  Catherine  marched 
against  the  devoted  Czar  at  the  head  of  a  strong  par- 
ty, proclaimed  that  he  had  ceased  to  reign,  and  threw 
him  into  prison,  where  he  soon  after  breathed  his  last, 
under  suspicious  circumstances. 

The  masculine  Empress  then  ascended  the  Russian 
throne  with  the  title  of  Catherine  II.,  and  commenced 
her  reign  by  flattering  the  prejudices  which  her  ill- 
fated  husband  had  so  fatally  wounded.  But  a  large 
share  of  her  attention  was  speedily  bestowed  upon  the 
affairs  of  Poland.  When  Augustus,  king  of  that  ill- 
fated  country,  expired  at  Dresden  in  17G3,  the  Em- 
press, by  the  influence  of  Russian  bayonets,  procured 


440  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

the  election  of  Stanislaus  Augustus,  one  of  her  former 
favorites.  Almost  from  the  opening  of  the  reign,  Po- 
land was  the  scene  of  disorder  and  desolation ;  for 
Catherine,  having  transported  -to  Siberia  a  number  oi 
senators  hostile  to  her  designs,  roused  the  indignant 
spirit  of  the  nation.  A  band  of  patriotic  Poles,  seiz- 
ing on  Cracow  and  Bar,  formed  a  league  for  their  de- 
liverance from  a  foreign  yoke,  and  implored  assistance 
from  Louis  XV.  Fifteen  hundred  Frenchmen,  under 
Dumouriez,  marched  to  the  assistance  of  the  confeder- 
ates, and  Turkey  took  part  in  the  quarrel.  But  the 
Russians  were  completely  victorious  ;  Bender  was  cap- 
tured ;  the  Turkish  fleet  was  destroyed  ;  and  the  Cri- 
mea was  annexed  to  Catherine's  dominions.  Flushed 
with  success,  and  unscrupulous  by  nature,  the  Empress 
projected  the  dismemberment  of  Poland,  forced  her 
scheme  upon  Maria  Theresa,  and  in  1772  entered  into 
a  treaty  of  partition  with  the  rulers  of  Austria  and 
Prussia.  The  Polish  Diet  was  intimidated  by  men- 
aces ;  and  the  several  provinces,  about  one-third  of  the 
Polish  ten-itory,  which  had  been  allotted  to  the  spoil- 
ers, were  surrendered. 

Scarcely  had  the  Russian  Empress  perpretrated  this 
piece  of  ruthless  injustice,  when  she  was  alarmed  by 
the  serious  rebeUion  of  a  Cossack,  who,  assuming  the 
name  and  character  of  her  dead  husband,  pretended 
that  he  had  escaped  from  the  hands  of  those  employed 
to  assassinate  him.  The  Cossack  bore  a  striking  re- 
semblance to  the  deceased  Czar,  and  was  successful 


TERRITORIAL  ACQUISITIONS.  441 

in  arraying  a  considerable  band  of  followers  under 
his  banner.  He  boldly  took  the  field,  and,  possessing 
both  skill  and  valor,  was  for  a  time  victorious  over 
the  gelierals  of  Catherine.  But  at  length  he  was 
totally  defeated,  taken  prisoner,  carried  to  Moscow  in 
an  iron  cage,  aad  beheaded  as  a  traitor. 

Danger  soon  arose  from  another  quarter.  After 
undertaking  one  of  the  most  pompous  processions  on 
record  to  be  crowned  at  Cherson,  Catherine,  on  her 
return  to  St.  Petersburg,  was  disturbed  by  a  declara- 
tion of  war  on  the  part  of  Turkey  ;  but  the  Ottoman 
power  lost  considerably  by  the  operations,  and  the 
Dneister  was  henceforth  recognized  as  the  frontier  of 
the  hostile  empires. 

Soon  after  this  Catherine  was  startled  with  the 
outbreak  of  the  French  revolution,  and  against  it  she 
issued  a  strong  declaration.  But  she  refrained  from 
taking  any  active  part  in  opposition  to  its  promoters ; 
for  while  other  countries  were  binding  themselves  up 
for  the  fierce  struggle  that  ensued,  the  Czarina  seized 
the  occasion  to  make  a  second  onslaught  on  devoted 
Poland.  In  1788  the  Poles,  in  their  aspirations  after 
liberty,  increased  their  army,  and  framed  a  new  con- 
stitution, which  rendered  the  crown  hereditary  in  the 
family  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony.  The  Empress,  there- 
upon, sent  an  army  into  Poland,  under  pretense  of 
maintaining  the  settlement  of  1772,  but  in  reality  to 
complete  the  subjugation  of  the  unhappy  country, 
which,  in  1793,  she  efiected,  with  the  aid  of  the  King 


442  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

of  Prussia.  The  Polish  nobles,  however,  took  up  arms 
to  rescue  their  native  land,  and,  under  the  brave  Kos- 
ciusko, were  at  first  victorious,  but  the  defeat  and  cap- 
tivity of  their  general  rendered  further  resistance  un- 
availing. 

Warsaw  still  holding  out,  and  refusing  to  surren- 
der, the  Russians,  under  Suwarrow,  assailed  the  town  ; 
and  there  ensued  a  fierce  conflict,  in  which  the  Poles 
perished  by  thousands.  After  a  resistance  of  eight 
hours  they  laid  down  their  arms ;  but  even  then  a 
multitude  of  unarmed  and  defenseless  human  beings 
were  mercilessly  sacrificed  by  fire  and  sword.  Suwar- 
row entered  with  the  pride  of  a  victor ;  and  the  Te 
Deum  was  sung  to  celebrate  his  triumph.  Next  year 
Stanislaus  made  a  formal  resignation  of  his  thorny 
crown.  "  I  can  cheerfully,"  he  said,  "  surrender  what 
has  brought  me  so  much  calamity." 

With  insatiable  ambition  the  Czarina  next  cast 
her  eyes  longingly  on  Courland,  and  allured  its  Duke 
to  her  court.  During  his  absence  the  nobles  of  that 
fertile  and  populous  district  assembled  the  stales,  to 
annex  their  country  to  Russia.  To  this  scheme  there 
was  at  first  serious  opposition  ;  but  a  Russian  general 
suddenly  appearing  in  the  assembly  silenced  all  objec- 
tions, and  the  deposed  Duke  retired  to  extensive  es- 
tates which  he  had  purchased  in  Prussia. 

In  1796,  after  a  successful  war  with  Persia,  Cath- 
erine was  summoned  to  another  state  of  existence ; 
and  the  empire  which  she  had  rendered  so  extensive, 


ASSASSINATION   OF   PAUL.  443 

was  inherited  by  her  son  Paul.  The  deceased  Czar- 
ina had  confined  herself  to  verbal  denunciations  in 
her  hostility  to  revolutionary  France  ;  but  her  succes- 
sor, eager  to  signalize  his  accession  by  some  brilliant 
exploit,  entered — with  singular  zeal  for  the  cause  of 
sovereigns — into  a  confederation  against  the  Republic. 
After  setting  the  brave  Kosciusko  at  liberty,  and  mak- 
ing peace  with  Persia,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
war  against  France,  and  sent  a  powerful  force  into 
Italy  to  the  aid  of  Austria.  Under  Suwarrow  the 
Russian  army  afterward  entered  Switzerland,  and 
menaced  that  Republic  ;  but  the  veteran  conqueror  oi 
Poland  was  there  utterly  unsuccessful,  and,  depressed 
with  the  loss  of  renown,  he  returned  with  his  shat- 
tered army  to  die  of  despair,  under  the  frowns  of  his 
despotic  sovereign. 

Jealous  of  the  maritime  greatness  and  naval  as- 
cendency of  England,  and  swayed  by  a  chivalrous  ad- 
miration of  Napoleon,  the  capricious  Czar  changed 
his  politics,  allied  himself  with  France,  seized  the 
British  ships  in  his  ports,  and  organized  the  Northern 
Confederacy,  which  was  dissolved  by  the  victory  of 
Copenhagen.  But  ere  the  news  oi  that  event  could 
reach  his.  ear,  Paul  had  met  a  terrible  fate ;  for  his 
tyrannies  had  so  provoked  his  courtiers,  that  they  de- 
clared his  death  to  be  essential  to  the  welfare  of  the 
empire.  At  dead  of  night,  in  March  1801,  the  Em- 
peror, in  his  regimentals,  was  reposing  on  a  sofa,  when 
the  conspirators  glided  into  his  apartments.     A  hussar, 


444  HISTORY  FOR    ROYS.— RUSSIA. 

who  kept  guard,  opposing  their  entrance,  was  cut 
down  with  the  stroke  of  a  sabre  ;  and  the  Emperor, 
awaking  at  the  noise,  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  endeav- 
ored to  intrench  himself  heliind  chairs  and  tables. 
Finding  his  assailants  resolute,  the  Emperor  implored 
mercy,  and  even  promised  to  make  them  all  princes  ; 
but  observing  that  they  were  inexorable,  he  sprang 
forward  to  escape  through  a  high  window.  At 
length  a  blow  prostrated  him  on  the  floor,  and  a 
young  Hanoverian,  twining  his  sash  round  the  victim's 
neck,  and  giving  one  end  to  an  accompUce,  twisted 
with  all  his  might  till  the  life  of  the  miserable  Em- 
peror was  extinct.  The  conspirators  then  retired, 
without  molestation,  from  the  palace.  At  early  mom 
the  intelligence  was  bruited  about  that  Paul  had  died 
of  apoplexy  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  his  eldest 
son,  Alexander,  was  proclaimed  Emperor  of  all  the 
E-ussias. 

The  new  Czar,  for  awhile,  maintained  neutrality 
between  contending  nations;  but  in  1S04,  when  the 
Duke  d'Enghieu  was  seized  at  Ettenheim,  carried  to 
Paris,  and  shot  in  the  wood  of  Vincennes,  he  assumed 
an  attitude  of  hostility  toward  Bonaparte,  formed  a 
coalition  with  Austria  and  England,  and  undertook  a 
campaign.  The  rapid  successes  of  the  French  so 
bewildered  Mack  that  he  capitulated  at  Ulm ;  and 
Napoleon,  after  his  entry  into  Vienna,  marching  into 
Moravia  to  meet  the  Russians,  encountered  their  army, 
with  the  remains  of  the  Austrians,  at  Austerlitz,  and 


FRENCH   INVASION.  445 

obtained  one  of  the  most  glorious  victories  on  record. 
Another  coahtion  was  soon  formed ;  and  Napoleon, 
appearing  in  Poland,  fought  at  Eylau  a  battle  bloody 
and  indecisive ;  but  at  Friedland  he  completely  van- 
quished the  Russians,  and  forced  the  Czar  to  sue  for 
peace.  On  a  raft  on  the  river  Niemen,  a  conference 
was  held  between  Napoleon  and  the  vanquished 
sovereigns  of  Prussia,  Russia,  and  Austria.  This 
resulted  in  the  Peace  of  Tilsit,  in  the  erection  of  the 
Duchy  of  Warsaw,  and  in  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
Elector  of  Saxony  as  its  sovereign. 

Continental  Europe  was  now  at  Napoleon's  feet ; 
but  against  his  prodigious  power  and  inordinate  ambi- 
tion another  confederation  was  formed ;  and,  in  this 
league,  Russia  took  a  conspicuous  part.  The  Em- 
peror of  the  French  thereupon  repaired  to  Dresden, 
and  fruitlessly  attempted  to  lure  back  the  Czar  to  his 
interests.  But  failing  in  that  object,  Napoleon  took 
the  field  at  the  head  of  four  hundred  thousand  men, 
crossed  the  Niemen,  and  advanced  to  Wilna.  The 
Diet  of  Warsaw,  after  proclaiming  the  liberation  of 
their  country,  demanded  that  the  invader  should  rec- 
ognize the  independence  of  Poland  ;  and  Napoleon, 
returning  an  evasive  answer,  drove  the  Russians  be- 
fore him  to  Smolensko,  where  preparations  had  been 
made  to  arrest  his  progress. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  1812,  Napoleon  was  before 
the  ancient  city,  and  at  noon  next  day  the  conflict 
began.    The  3''/oi:;ch,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  drove 


446  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

the  Russians  within  the  walls,  and  the  battle  raged 
fiercely  till  sunset ;  but,  when  night  set  in,  the  city 
was  in  flames.  Next  morning  the  French,  entering 
without  resistance,  found  the  place  abandoned,  save 
by  men  who  were  yielding  their  latest  breath  amidst 
the  glare  of  the  conflagration  ;  and  Sinoleiis-ko  was 
soon  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  Russians,  laying  waste  the 
country,  retreated  toward  Moscow,  and  the  command 
of  their  army  was  transferred  to  Prince  Kutosofl',  a 
hoary  and  experienced  general,  whose  arrival  was 
hailed  with  delight.  He  announced  that  no  more 
retrograde  movements  should  be  made,  encouraged 
the  troops  by  his  presence,  and  exhorted  them  to  de- 
fend Moscow  to  the  last.  This  place  was  the  ancient 
and  venerable  capital  of  their  Empire ;  and  its  vast 
suburbs,  its  magnificent  buildings,  its  towers,  its  domes, 
its  spires,  and  its  terraces,  rendered  Moscow  one  of  the 
most  interesting  places  in  Europe,  and  the  pride  of  the 
Russian  Empire.  "Well  might  they  fight  for  such  a 
city  I 

Both  leaders  exercised  their  utmost  ingenuity,  and 
made  their  dispositions  with  militaiy  skill.  Along 
the  Russian  lines  priests  bore  the  sacred  relics  that 
had  been  saved  at  Smolensko,  and  inspired  the  soldiers 
with  religious  enthusiasm  ;  and  while  their  breasts 
were  yet  glowing  with  excitement.  Prince  Kutosoft^ 
implored  them,  in  lofty  and  inspiriting  words,  "  to 
think  of  their  wives,  their  children,  and  their  Em- 
peror, and  to  write  their  faith  and  fealty  on  the  field 


BATTLE  OF  BORODINO.  447 

of  their  country  with  the  life's  blood  of  the  invader 
and  his  legions." 

On  the.morning  of  the  7th  of  Septenaber,  Napoleon, 
who,  aware  of  his  veteran  antagonist's  genius,  had 
become  more  cautious  in  his  operations,  issued  from 
his  tent,  and  addressed  his  officers  and  soldiers  in 
befitting  terms.  The  hostile  armies  then  met  at  Boro- 
dino, and  the  contest  was  maintained  for  hours  ^\^th 
desperate  valor.  At  one  time  the  victor  of  Auster- 
litz  had  the  mortification  to  see  the  choicest  of  his 
troops  driven  from  the  field.  Bayonets  and  sabres 
flashed,  and  artillery  thundered  till  night  arrived, 
when  both  parties  laid  claim  to  the  victor}^  But  the 
Russian  general  decided  on  leaving  Moscow  to  its  fate  : 
the  inhabitants  precipitately  abandoned  their  houses  ; 
and  the  governor  formally  evacuated  the  city  at  the 
head  of  forty  thousand  persons. 

Next  morning  the  French,  glowing  with  exultation, 
presented  themselves  at  the  gate,  and  forced  an  en- 
trance ;  but  scarcely  had  they  done  so,  when  they 
became  aware  that  Moscow  was  in  a  blaze.  The  Ex- 
change, an  extensive  building,  containing  warehouses 
stored  with  valuable  merchandise,  was  first  consigned 
to  the  flames,  and,  subsequently,  a  strong  wind  pre- 
vailing, the  whole  city  was  a  sheet  of  fire,  and  the 
sky  was  obscured  by  volumes  of  smoke.  The  pillage 
soon  commenced,  and  Napoleon's  camp  in  the  fields 
was  filled  with  rich  spoil. 

But  now,  deprived  of  the  prospect  of  wintering  at 


448  HISTORY    FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

Moscow,  the  position  of  the  Emperor  of  the  French 
became  perilous  iu  the  extreme  ;  for  he  had  penetrated 
into  the  heart  of  a  hostile  country  ;  the  cold  season 
was  approacliing ;  and  the  ruined  city  oilered  no  asy- 
lum from  the  rigor  of  the  climate.  He,  therefore, 
humbled  his  pride  so  far  as  to  commence  negotiations 
with  Alexander  ;  but  finding  his  efforts  fruitless,  after 
forty  days  he  abandoned  his  scheme  of  conquest,  and 
issued  orders  for  a  retreat.  But  the  Russians,  believ- 
ing the  conqueror  of  Europe  to  be  at  length  in  their 
power,  were  bent  iipon  revenge ;  and  Kutosofl^  re- 
marked— "  The  French  have  proclaimed  the  cam- 
paign terminated  at  Moscow,  but  on  our  part  the 
warfare  is  about  to  begin." 

The  retreat  of  Napoleon  was  disastrous  beyond  all 
precedent.  The  Russian  armies  seized  every  oppor- 
tunity of  attacking  his  troops  ;  the  winter  set  in  witli 
unusual  severity  ;  and  the  troops  were  paralyzed  with 
cold.  The  Cossacks,  whose  sole  delight  was  war, 
under  their  celebrated  leader,  the  Hetman  Platoff", 
now  mercilessly  assailed  the  retiring  legions,  wrought 
fearful  havoc,  broke  down  bridges  in  the  line  of  march, 
and  harassed  them  on  all  sides.  Scarcely  had  the 
French,  after  a  day's  toilsome  march,  stretched  them- 
selves on  the  giound  to  enjoy  a  little  repose,  when 
these  vigilant  foes  rushed  impetuously  into  the  camp, 
and,  ere  the  sleepers  could  resist,  slaughtered  them  in 
heaps,  and  carried  off  stores  and  artillery.  A  scene  of 
unparalleled  horrors  ensued ;  and  the  situation  of  the 


RETREAT   OF    NAPOLEON.  449 

French  forces  became  quite  desperate.  Cold  and 
famine  preyed  upon  the  troops ;  flights  of  ravens 
hovered  over  their  line  of  march ;  and  troops  of 
dogs  followed  in  the  rear  to  consume  their  remains. 
The  horses  perished  by  thousands ;  the  cannon  and 
v/agons  were  abandoned  ;  and  all  military  order  was 
at  an  end. 

With  his  army  in  this  evil  plight,  Napoleon,  on  the 
23d  of  November,  had  to  cross  the  Beresina  in  pres- 
ence of  the  enemy,  and  a  scene,  replete  with  horrors, 
occurred.  The  river,  though  covered  with  floating 
ice,  was  not  yet  frozen  over,  and  rafts  had  to  be  con- 
structed and  launched  under  the  enemy's  fire.  Mul- 
titudes were  engulfed  in  the  waters ;  and  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Beresina  proved  more  fatal  than  the  most 
sanguinary  field.  On  the  5th  of  December,  Napoleon, 
mortified  and  sick  at  heart,  abandoned  the  miserable 
wreck  of  his  once  magnificent  army,  and  repaired  to 
Paris. 

Though  the  mighty  Emperor  had  been  defeated 
more  by  the  elements  than  the  Russian  foe,  the  result 
of  the  campaign  was  to  raise  the  renoAvn  of  the  Czar'g 
arms ;  and  Alexander,  to  complete  the  work  thus 
begun,  called  upon  the  other  powers  of  Europe  to 
vindicate  their  national  independence  against  his  for- 
mer ally.  The  invitation  was  not  unavailing ;  for  with 
the  reverses  of  the  French  arms  commenced  the  defec- 
tion of  Napoleon'?  allies.  A  triple  alliance  was  formed 
between  Russia.  Austria,  and  Prussia ;  the  Emperor 
Ff 


«'.o  HISTORY   FOR   BOYS.— RUSSIA. 

of  the  French  was  designated  as  the  common  enemy ; 
the  alhed  sovereigns  imdertook  their  campaign  for  the 
hberties  of  Europe,  and  their  army  marched  triumph- 
antly into  Paris. 

The  Congress  of  Vieima  assembled  in  1814  ;  and, 
while  Prussia  was  bent  on  the  acquisition  of  Saxony, 
Alexander  applied  his  energies  to  obtaining  the  duchy 
of  Warsaw,  which  was  still  occupied  by  his  troops. 
He  was  successful  in  his  object  :  and  what  remained 
of  Poland  was  handed  over  to  the  Czar,  on  condition 
of  his  piling  it  by  a  special  and  constitutional  govern- 
ment. 

Ten  years  passed  over;  Alexander,  in  1825,  died 
of  a  fever  at  Taganrog  ;  Constantino,  the  next  son  of 
the  murdered  Paul,  a  man  of  savage  spirit,  renounced 
his  hereditary'  claim  to  the  crown,  and  the  vacant 
throne  was  ascended  by  his  younger  brother,  Nicholas, 
the  reigning  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias.  That  dar- 
ing autocrat,  within  a  year  of  his  accession,  undertook 
against  Persia  a  war,  which  terminated  in  his  favor  ; 
and,  in  1828,  he  availed  himself  of  the  temporary 
weakness  of  Turkey,  to  commence  liostilities,  to  cross 
the  Balkan  mountains,  and  to  impose  upon  the  Sultan, 
among  other  hard  terms,  the  Protectorate  of  the  Dan- 
ubian  Principalities. 

Meanwhile,  the  policy  of  JSTicholas,  and  the  personal 
character  of  the  Grand  Duke  Constantino,  rendered 
the  condition  of  the  Poles  intolerable  ;  a  general  in- 
surrection took  place  in  1830  ;  and  the  Czar,  deeming 


SUPPRESSION   OF  POLISH   NATIONALITY.    451 

that  this  outbreak  released  him  from  his  engagements, 
determined  upon  the  extirpation  of  Polish  nationality. 
His  army  marched  with  that  object  into  Poland  ;  the 
nobles  of  the  unhappy  nation  were  exiled  to  Siberia  ; 
the  patrician  ladies  were  given  as  helpmates  to  the 
invading  soldiers ;  and  their  infants  were  conveyed 
away  to  be  educated  with  Russian  ideas,  and  inspired 
with  Russian  sentiments.  The  constitution  of  Poland 
was  then  withdrawn  ;  her  laws  were  abrogated  ;  and 
the  ancient  nation,  over  which  John  Sobieski  had 
reigned,  and  for  which  Kosciusko  had  fought,  was 
declared  an  integral  part  of  an  Empire  that  had  been 
fostered  into  importance  by  the  genius  of  Peter  the 
Great,  extended  in  its  limits  by  the  lawless  appro- 
priations of  the  second  Catherine,  and  aggrandized  by 
the  unscrupulous  ambition  of  her  despotic  descendants. 


THE    a.ND. 


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